Of Hogwarts and Inheritances
by Snowflake Flower
Summary: JS. "Christmas? You mean that human holiday where gifts are exchanged and trees are brought into homes and decorated with curious little baubles?" Jareth asked, his voice clearly fascinated.
1. The Most Important Thing

**Of Hogwarts and Inheritances**

**Prologue: The Most Important Thing**

_It was gradual, the spreading of the sickly colours that ran from his hand up to his arms. He was shaking, his tiny body wracked with tremors as the little spoon clattered to the floor. She watched its descent, her breath caught in her throat and the locked joints of her bones preventing any actions. She watched the tremors as they faded, and the swaying of his body on unsteady feet before he plummeted to the ground, the sickly green colour in his hand steadily inching up, up, his arms until they snaked past his shoulders and up to his throat…_

_Her jaw unlocked, dropping open in a silent scream—_

...

...

...**  
**

She jolted up with a desperate gasp, the moonlight filtering in through the uncovered windows to light her wooden floors. Around her, cardboard boxes lay taped up and piled one over another until they threatened to tumble through the floor. Her bed was stripped bare of linens, pillows, and her velvet drapes, only a thin blanket there to protect her from the harsh nocturnal elements. (They had all been stowed away in one of the cardboard boxes.) There was only a large bag laying beside her bedside, containing her toiletries and a few articles of clothes and some of her other paraphernalia.

Sarah shot a quick look at it, her breath coming out in a whoosh as she swung her legs over the side of the mattress, running a hand through her tangled hair. She grimaced at the tangles, reaching into her bag to fetch a comb and begin running it through her long auburn hair.

For a few minutes Sarah just sat there, running the teeth through her mangled locks, trying to ignore the light sheen of sweat sparkled over her skin. She tried to remember her dream, closing her eyes and waiting as the little flashes of her dreams sprung up. When they did (_flashes of green and silver, sounds of thuds and screams—_), Sarah's eyes shot open once more, and her breath hitched with fear.

"Toby…"

Dropping the comb, Sarah rushed out of the room, her bare feet padding against the floor. She dashed into her little brother's room, flinging the door wide open. The moonlight was present in this room as well, highlighting the little boy snuggled amongst a heavy blanket and breathing deeply; evenly.

Sarah sighed in relief, quietly so she wouldn't awake her sleeping half-brother. Glad for the carpet muffling her footsteps, the young woman knelt at her brother's bedside, smoothing a hand through his platinum blonde locks. He stirred slightly, his eyebrows scrunching up in distaste before settling back into tranquility. Sarah retracted her hands, choosing to lay them on the side of the bed and resting her chin on top of her arms, studying Toby in sisterly affection.

"I'm never going to let anything happen to you, Toby." She whispered into the darkness, her eyes drooping as she stayed nestled next to him. "I'll protect you for the rest of my life; I promise." Yawning quietly, Sarah reached out with one of her hands, her long fingers wrapping around one of Toby's little hands. "And you wanna know why?" She smiled as she fell asleep, locks of auburn hair falling past her cheek.

"Because you are… the most important thing…"

Sarah never got to finish her sentence, succumbing to her blissful dreams as the clock ticked three a.m.

...

...

...**  
**

"Sarah! Rise and shine!" Robert Williams exclaimed gleefully, bursting into his daughter's bedroom, a wide smile on his face. He faltered for a moment, seeing a tangled blanket but not his disgruntled daughter. (He was the only morning person in the family, aside from Toby on a good day.) Confused, Robert turned around to call for his wife, Irene, to see if she had seen Sarah. But when he met her gaze, she motioned for him to be quiet, holding a camera and smiling motherly.

"Look." She whispered, letting him peek into Toby's room. Robert craned his neck in an attempt to look inside, his eyes softening as he took in the sight of his daughter sleeping at her baby brother's bedside, her hand gripping his. He stayed standing in the doorway for a moment, watching the scene with an unmistakable sensation of warmth spreading through him. Irene laid a hand on his shoulder, before teasingly slapping him aside and quickly snapping two shots of the wonderful display of sibling affection.

Sarah stirred awake as she heard the two clicks of the camera, turning her head blearily towards the doorway where her father and her stepmother stood. Irene quickly hid the camera behind her back, inching away as Robert decided to take charge of the situation. His smile was dazzling in the light, and Sarah groaned as she stumbled up.

"Hi sunshine!" He greeted, and Sarah rubbed her sleepy eyes.

"Morning." She mumbled, ambling past him to shut herself in the washroom. Robert chuckled, starting forward to wake Toby, who was still asleep in his bed. He laid a hand on Toby's shoulder, gently shaking him into consciousness.

"Come on, son." Robert crooned as Toby's blue eyes blinked open. "It's time to wake up." The four-year old yawned, looking up at his father dazedly. Robert smiled down at his youngest, smoothing a hand over his platinum blonde locks. "Come on Toby," he urged, helping the little boy sit up. "It's time to go to the airport."

Toby's eyes opened, the sleepy haze leaving as he remembered what this day meant. A wide smile stretched over his chubby cheeks, and he scrambled off his bed to dash towards the washroom, where his sister was scrubbing her teeth. She heard him come in, looking down at Toby as he climbed onto the little stool to grab his toothbrush. "G'morning Sarah!" He exclaimed, and Sarah smiled at him through her foamy mouth. He smiled widely at the silly bubbles on her face, grabbing the little tube of toothpaste on the side of the sink.

Sarah watched him struggle a little to put a dollop of paste on the bristles, and bent down to spit out her own toothpaste, rinsing her mouth with water. She chuckled at him, leaning on the counter as she asked, "So, are you excited to go to England?" His brush already stuck in his mouth, Toby nodded enthusiastically as Sarah washed her face. "Are you gonna make a lot of new friends?" The young woman asked, drying her face just as Toby spit out his toothpaste and rinsed his mouth.

"Yeah! Lots of them!" He exclaimed. Sarah laughed, ruffling his hair.

"So I guess you won't need me around anymore, huh?" She teased, starting to walk out the bathroom door. Toby stopped her by grabbing her shirt, his beautiful blue eyes wide with fear as he hugged one of her legs.

"No!" He exclaimed. "Sarah has to stay forever! Forever!" He repeated the word twice, as if that would ensure that his older sister never left him. Sarah smiled down softly at him, lifting him up in her arms and hugging him. She had only meant for it to be a joke, but deep in her heart she knew just how serious it was for her; and for Toby.

"Forever." She whispered quietly in his ear. A little grin crossed her face as Toby's little arms wrapped around her neck. "That's not long at all."

...

...

...**  
**

The airplane ride was long and incredibly boring. Toby fidgeted in the plane the entire way through, and Sarah swore she was never going to make a hyperactive kid sit in a plane for several hours ever again. They played a few entertaining movies, but Sarah was still immensely glad to be able to finally get off the plane and stretch her legs. (She was sure Toby had the same sentiment, what with the way he was practically bouncing off the walls.)

They took a cab to their new house, because Sarah's dad still needed to take the driving test over here and get used to driving on the "wrong side" of the road. Toby was a little disgruntled to be in a car again, but that feeling was soon swept away as they passed by all the sights and sounds. He couldn't stop staring out the window, fighting against his seatbelt as a large London bus passed by him. Granted, Sarah couldn't stop doing that either.

They arrive at their new home, a quaint little thing in the suburbs. It was fairly large, and Sarah supposed it was expected since her father had been promoted (which was the whole reason for the big up-and-move-countries). It also helped his decision when Sarah had decided to attend a university in England. "This way, we'll be close by." He reasoned, especially when Toby was clinging to her leg and wailing at the top of his lungs.

Sarah sighed in delight as she stepped out of the cab, looking up at her new home. Toby was already excitedly rushing inside, Irene right behind him to make sure he didn't hurt himself. Robert was taking their suitcases out of the cab, thanking the driver and paying him his fee. Sarah just stood there, her eyes closed and the wind blowing through her auburn hair, against her pale cheeks as she welcomed the feeling.

"Coming Sarah?" Her father called to her, and Sarah smiled, nodding as she grabbed her bags and trotted in after him.

Toby was running around the interior, gasping excitedly as he pointed out all the cool things in the house to his mother. Irene just followed, ever-smiling, as she also admired the brilliant work put into the house. Robert was laying down the bags in the foyer with a relieved sigh, looking proudly up into the house he had bought because of his new promotion.

Sarah just stood there for long moments, admiring her new house as well before smiling softly and grabbing her bags. Toby came rushing in a moment later, his blue eyes bright with excitement.

"Sarah, Sarah!" He exclaimed, jumping up and down. He looked as if he was going to gush about something or other, but became sidetracked when he spotted the bags in her hands. "Are you going to unpack?" He asked, and Sarah grinned and nodded.

"Sure am!" She said cheerfully, giving him a mischievous look. "And you better go too, unless you want me to get dibs on a room you like!" Sarah laughed internally when she saw him freeze up, letting him snatch up one of his bags and dart up the stairs, hollering at the top of his voice that the biggest room was his. Irene walked in, shaking her head exasperatedly as she climbed up the stairs, trying to shout to Toby that the room with the private bath was not his.

Sarah just shook her head in disbelief, climbing up the stairs with relative ease despite all the bags piled in her arms. She quickly chose the room closest to the stairs, throwing all her bags into it and listening to the satisfying 'thump!'.

Hearing Toby and Irene arguing about the master bedroom some ways down the hall, Sarah started to unzip her bags, opening drawers and shelves to pack all her things into new places. It wasn't long after until the moving trucks came, and she managed to get all of her computer equipment into the room and onto her new desk. She had just finished plugging the last of the cables into their rightful places when a burly man stepped through the door, lugging a full-length mirror.

"Where do you want this?" He asked, his accent unmistakably British. Sarah smiled, pointing to the nails embedded into the wall.

"Just hang it there."

He did as he was told, nodding respectfully to her before ambling back downstairs to help the other movers with the heavier furniture. Sarah turned away from the mirror hanging behind her, fumbling around with some of her precious mementos and getting them all tucked away in their new proper places. Sarah didn't stop working until there was nothing left to put away, and the empty bags were all stored in the back of her new closet.

"There!" Sarah exclaimed, standing in the centre of her new room and admiring her handiwork. Her new white vanity was pushed up against one wall, her bed decorated with velvet drapes against another. A dresser stood across from the mirror hung up on the bare wall, holding many of her trinkets from her teenage years. A bookcase was pushed into a little corner of the room, and Sarah found her eyes wandering over to the little red book with golden-letters embossed in the spine.

'_The Labyrinth._' She thought, but was unable to think much upon that seemingly taboo subject when Toby rushed into her room (like obnoxious little brothers often did), looking slightly sick.

"Toby?" She asked, her heart beating fast. "Toby, what's wrong?" The women knelt beside him, smoothing her hand over his hair. He collapsed against her, groaning. Sarah hoped he didn't feel the pitter-patter of her heart when his ear pressed against her breast, and gathered him in her arms. She shifted him to hear what he was saying as he dangled his arms over her shoulders.

"It smells really bad, Sarah." He mumbled into her shirt, and Sarah sucked in a sharp breath. "And I feel really sick again."

"Don't worry, Toby." Sarah whispered into his ear as she approached the full length mirror up on her wall. "Just go to sleep. When you wake up, it'll all be better; I promise." She waited, trying to breathe softly, for those painstakingly long seconds for her little brother to fall asleep against her shoulder, before laying one hand on the surface of the mirror and whispering urgently, "Labyrinth, I need you!"

A ripple emerged from underneath Sarah's palm, spreading to all corners of the mirror. Sarah watched them for a moment, entranced, before pushing forward towards the mirror. Her hand sunk through the reflective surface, swallowing her body whole as she stepped through onto the other side, Toby still clutched tightly to her chest.

...

...

...**  
**

He could feel her bristling around his room in a state of controlled panic as she laid her little brother upon his (_his!_) luxurious bed, tucking him into the blankets and smoothing away his laboured breathing with her soft hands. Her aura was flashing with dread, and the Goblin King was tempted into conjuring a scrying ball to observe her from his lazy sprawl on his throne.

It was only when his crystal remained glitteringly clear that Jareth remembered (quite sorely) he had _no power over Sarah Williams._

With a hissed curse, Jareth threw the smooth glass into the wall opposite him, watching with minute satisfaction as it smashed against the brick wall, shattering into pieces. The tiny shards seemed to rain down on the floor, but disappeared only moments before hitting the ground. The Goblin King conjured another crystal, intent on giving it the same fate as its predecessor. He was stopped only when a little goblin scurried across the floor, looking delightfully gleeful.

"Kingy!" The tiny thing squeaked, coming to a stop several feet before Jareth's spiky throne. "Kingy! Champion is here! The Lady Sarah is here!"

Jareth glared down at the goblin, watching as he shrank back from his sovereign in fear, twiddling with his rather bulbous fingers. "_Don't_ call her that." He spat at the goblin harshly. "She is not your _lady_. She is just a foolish girl intent on making me suffer every waking moment." The little minion was wise to keep his mouth shut when Jareth swung out of his royal chair, snatching up his cape and stalking out the door. The little goblin followed unsurely, scratching his head and wondering what he was supposed to call the Lady Sarah if he wasn't allowed to call her Lady Sarah.

As the goblin puzzled over this new phenomenon, Jareth rapidly turned a corner, losing the little Underground creature and heading swiftly to his chambers. He paused outside of the door, feeling Sarah's aura much better now that she was separated from him by only a wall. She had not seemed to calm from her frantic entrance into the castle, and didn't even seem to notice him as he opened the door, peering in to see her smoothing her hand over Toby's hair.

She was beautiful, as she always was. Her hair was dark against her skin, hands long and slim. They captivated him for a moment, weaving delicately over her brother's blonde strands with care. For a moment he imagined it was his hair that she was stroking, and couldn't help how his eyelids drooped faintly.

Letting his boot thump rather loudly on his carpet floor, Jareth's expression was blank as Sarah, startled, turned her face up to look at him.

"Oh…" she whispered breathily. "I… hello again… your Majesty."

The words were forced, causing Jareth to sigh internally in frustration. Even after three years, they were not past the awkward greeting stages… Although Jareth supposed he should've expected it, knowing that humans in and of themselves were rather unforgiving and cruel. (Even more so than the Fae people themselves.)

Nodding his head shortly, Jareth started further into his room, his cape billowing out around him. Sarah stepped back as he approached, skirting to the other side of the bed in an effort to remain close to her little brother, but as far away from Jareth as she could manage. Jareth tried hard not to sigh out loud, kneeling by Toby's bedside and tugging off one of his leather gloves.

Sarah's eyes were trained on Toby, refusing to flicker over to Jareth's even when she saw his elegant hand reach out and lay itself gently on Toby's forehead. A soft glow formed around Toby's body, and Sarah was only able to tear her eyes away when a little goblin started tugging on the bottom of her pants.

"Missy Sarah want to see dwarf friend?" The little goblin asked, smiling toothily. He had obviously figured out a way to address Sarah politely without upsetting the 'Kingy'. Sarah stared down at the goblin for long moments, before finally registering the words and nodding. Jareth always took quite awhile to place another protection spell on Toby, so she supposed she could go catch up with her Underground friends while Jareth finished up.

Excited that he was doing something for the Champion of the Labyrinth, the little goblin reached up to grab Sarah's fingers, giggling (rather dementedly, like goblins always did) as he tugged her outside of the king's chambers, guiding her back down to the throne room where Jareth lounged only minutes earlier. Sarah smiled as she tumbled into the room, seeing Hoggle sitting on the ledge of the sunken pit and picking at his trinkets.

"Hoggle!" She exclaimed, darting down to hug him. He started at her entrance, obviously caught at an unguarded moment when he toppled over as Sarah crashed into him. She laughed heartily, sitting back up and letting him grumble as he slowly rose back to a sitting position.

"Why do you gotta hug me every time you see me?" He asked grumpily, crossing his arms and staring moodily at the centre of the pit. "It's only been a week." Sarah just smiled, used to his grouchiness as she shrugged and rested her elbows on her knees.

"Because every time I see you, you look like you could use a hug." She admitted, grinning as she stretched her legs out. Hoggle looked over at her, strangely quiet for a few moments.

"I don't think I'm the only one." He muttered, but Sarah heard him perfectly well.

"What?" Her head snapped over to him, and he flinched as he felt her eyes on him.

"It's nuthin'." He proclaimed, getting up and dusting his pants off. Sarah followed after the dwarf, clearly aggravated when he tried to walk away without explaining himself. She reached out and snagged his shoulder, spinning him around and making their eyes connect.

"Hoggle…" She began, her voice low in warning. Hoggle met her gaze evenly for several moments before he threw his hands up in the air, making a noise of frustration and effectively forcing Sarah to retract her arms.

"I thought it woulda been obvious to you!" He said, crossing his arms and glaring at her. She still looked confused, wondering if she should be offended by what he just said. Hoggle just rolled his eyes. "Don't pretend you're okay, Sarah. I know you and I know that its hurtin' you to have your brother here… in the Underground." Sarah jolted sharply, as if she had been slapped directly across the face.

"Hoggle!" She exclaimed, her voice accusing and offended. Hoggle threw his hands up in the air again, turning his back to her.

"I knew you would do that!" He grumbled. "But you can't fool me, Sarah. You don't like being here, and you _definitely_ don't like little Toby here 'cause of… 'cause of…" His voice trailed off, but they both knew whom Hoggle was speaking of. And Sarah wasn't happy that he was bringing up this line of conversation when she wanted nothing more than to make it all go away.

"Of course I don't like him, Hoggle." Sarah bit out, her fists clenching at her sides. "He took Toby away; he sent the Cleaners after us!" Hoggle whirled on her, his eyes dancing with surprising rage.

"_He almost killed himself for you!_"

Silence permeated the throne room, and Sarah couldn't stop her lower lip from quivering as Hoggle continued, taking shots at her already fragile heart.

"You sent little Toby away in the first place, Sarah." Hoggle bit out harshly. "And then, when you became the very first Champion of the Labyrinth and took little Toby back, how was Jareth supposed to know what would happen?" He paused, letting his words sink in. "How would any of us know?"

Sarah exhaled shakily, her legs feeling boneless but refusing to crumple to the floor. She looked down to the floor, closing her eyes tightly against the oncoming tears. "It's not fair." She whispered bitterly. Hoggle was silent for a moment, before he shuffled forward and patted her arm.

"Life is never fair when we want it to be, Sarah. Not even to a baby."

...

...

...**  
**

Jareth heard her come in, his bare hand still resting gently on Toby's forehead. He could tell from her sagged shoulders that she had another fight with the dwarf. They had been going at it for months now since… since that time Jareth had first remembered feeling like the world was closing in on him, turning his sight to nothing. As a proud man, the Goblin King would never admit to being so weak. To nearly clotting out his existence because of a tragic decision he decided to make. And he would never have wanted that Higgle (or was it Hodgeworth?) to be defending his actions and his honour. But the creatures of the Labyrinth were undeniably tied to his existence.

If he died, they died.

Feeling the charms finally fade into Toby's skin, Jareth rose silkily to his feet, slipping his leather glove back on.

"He will be protected enough for another week. Make sure to bring him back around the same time." Jareth brushed past Sarah, unintentionally torturing himself with the knowledge that he would never be allowed to lay his hands upon her in any manner. But Sarah was not so affected, and she seemed only anxious and unsure. She was twiddling with her fingers, looking down at her feet as he made his way past her and to the door.

"Wait." Sarah called out, turning around and watching him freeze in his place in the doorway. "I… want to…" her voice trailed off, and she looked back down at her feet. There was a prolonged silence that started to grate on Jareth's nerves, until he heard her exhale noisily. She looked back up, saying finally, "I want to thank you."

Jareth craned his neck over his shoulder to look at her, an eyebrow quirking up. "Whatever for, precious thing?" His name for her was a caress on his tongue, spoken as if saying it wrong would shatter her completely. Sarah shivered at the vast amount of sexuality contained in that one nickname, her lips tightening in nervousness.

"For doing this." Sarah said, closing her eyes and willing the tears to dry behind her eyelids. "For almost sacrificing your life so that I – my brother could live a normal life." Her eyes opened again, and there was a genuine sadness present in her eyes that made Jareth's heart (he had a heart?) squeeze.

"It is my repentance." Jareth answered simply, clearly. "It is my punishment for never realizing what the wild magic of the Labyrinth could do to one so young. Especially one who was granted freedom again." Sarah's eyes closed tightly again, and she tried hard to will the tears away.

"Toby… Toby's gotten used to it." Sarah said feebly, in an attempt to make the Goblin King (the Goblin King!) feel better. "He knows… he knows that it's best to avoid all the iron things, especially today. He's such a smart boy... and the fact that he has all these new goblin friends – well I'm sure he doesn't mind his… his _allergy_ to iron if he can see them and…and be able to do little magic tricks." Sarah tried to smile here, remembering biting into a red apple only to taste the juice of a peach. Jareth watched her carefully, his mismatched eyes remaining frustratingly blank.

"Has he been having trouble controlling his powers?" Jareth asked, refraining from the urge to reach out and caress Sarah's lips when she bit down on them. "Fae magic is unstable where emotions are concerned." Sarah winced a bit when she remembered a few instances of his magic flaring out of control. (The bully, and the rest of the school population, was content to stay out of Toby's hair after that.)

"It's… getting better." Sarah admitted, brushing a stray lock back. She didn't say much to elaborate on that point. Jareth seemed content to let her keep her secrets. (Not that they were much of secrets; she just utilized the old 'count to ten' trick.)

Jareth's mismatched gaze lingered on Sarah for another moment or two, watching the uneasiness and confusion play across her face like flickering lights. He could tell from her fidgeting that she was contemplating what to say next, in an attempt to keep a conversation running so as not to make things too awkward between them. He was tempted to humour her for a moment – just a moment – before he turned with his cape fluttering behind him.

"It is best you get back Aboveground." He said curtly. "I trust you know your way out?" Without turning to see Sarah's response, Jareth trod out of his room, disappearing into the hallways and leaving the Champion of the Labyrinth alone save her sleeping brother, her expression the epitome of a lost fifteen-year old girl.

...

...

...**  
**

Toby awoke slowly, his alarm blaring at him beside his bed and the light filtering in despite the curtains covering the windows. He still wasn't used to the time difference in London even after the two weeks they had been here, and raised his head to stare at the time. It registered slowly in his brain, before he turned to look at his calendar and spotted out one of the dates circled in red ink.

It was his first day of school.

Jumping up with an excited yell, Toby scrambled off his bed (tangling his sheets more than ever before), rushing to throw his door open and pelt down to Sarah's room (she ended up with the bigger of the two).

"Sarah!" He hollered, throwing the door open and climbing up to bounce on the end of his sister's bed. "Sarah, wake up!" She blinked blearily when she felt her bed shift, watching Toby jumping at the end of her bed. Panic rose in her body, and her sleepiness evaporated like water hitting the surface of the sun. She grabbed Toby's hands, pulling him down so he was sitting instead of jumping.

"Toby!" She exclaimed, her tone already reprimanding. "What have Irene and I told you about jumping on the bed?"

"Not to do it." He answered automatically, before smiling toothily. "Come on, Sarah! It's the first day of school!" Toby scrambled off his older sister's bed in a similar manner; rushing to the bathroom the instant his feet touched the floor. Sarah sighed as she watched him go, running a hand through her tangled locks. Her father stopped by, peeking his head in.

"You sure you'll be okay taking Toby to school?" He asked, playing with the keys in one of his hands. A briefcase was in his other, and he was dressed immaculately in a grey suit. Sarah smiled reassuringly her father, nodding her head.

"It's fine. The school in on the way to my university anyways, and I've had a lot of time to get acquainted with the subway system. We'll be okay." Her smiled seemed to be enough to convince Robert, and he nodded once more at his daughter before tromping down the stairs and out the door. Sarah listened to him go, sighing once more before Toby rushed into her room, his eyes glinting impatiently.

"I'm done!" He stated, before rushing back to his room to don his clothes. Sarah rose from her bed, slowly making her way to the bathroom. She wasn't sure what it was she felt when she passed by Toby's open door, watching him double check the things in his little backpack.

...

...

...**  
**

The school came into view, not necessarily looking dark and looming to Sarah, but most assuredly to Toby. He was eager to go in, but at the same time extremely scared. (But of course he never showed it! Men don't ever show weakness!)

Sarah stopped some ways from the entrance, bending down to get to eye level with her little brother. She caught him in the shoulders, turning him to face her, his expression undoubtedly one of a little boy trying to look strong.

"Now remember, Toby," Sarah said softly, "make sure you stay away from the metal as much as you can. And don't let yourself get mad; remember what happened last time?" Toby nodded shortly, and Sarah could see the fear increasing in his eyes. She smiled gently at him this time, bringing him in for a hug, despite his protests. "I know you'll make me proud, Toby."

"Mommy and daddy too?"

Sarah smiled.

"Them too."

She pulled back, commending Toby for holding back his tears. She ruffled his hair in a display of sisterly affection, waving to him as he began to run off towards the entrance doors. The kindergarten teacher was waiting for him there, saying hello to him and ushering him inside before the bell rang. Sarah watched him disappear from view behind those (now strangely frightening) double doors.

He didn't turn back to look at her once, and Sarah wondered for a moment why it bothered her so much.

_

* * *

A/N _Well! After a long period of inactivity, I have finally decided to turn up with something. In addition to being caught up in schoolwork, I've been planning this little sweetie for a month or so. This is the first time I'm ever attempting a crossover, so be nice will ya? Especially since this crossover will likely span about six separate stories. (Talk about a lot of work...) I hope you've enjoyed the prologue; the first chapter will come out whenever I can finish it. (ie, don't get your hopes up.)

Reviews are appreciated; reviewers are greatly loved!

Snowflake Flower


	2. What's a Hogwarts?

**Of Hogwarts and Inheritances**

**Chapter 1: What's a Hogwarts?**

Sarah awoke to the bright lights of the sun peeking in through her curtains, her alarm clock blaring noisily next to her. The red numbers flashed seven in the morning, and for a moment the Labyrinth champion wondered why the hell she needed to be awake so early.

"Sarah, sweetie? Irene and I are leaving now." Robert said, peering into his daughter's room. Sarah groaned, throwing an arm over her face as she remembered exactly why she had set her alarm at seven in the _bloody_ morning. "You sure you're okay with babysitting Toby while we're gone?" He sounded worried as he watched his baby girl lounge in her bed, dark hair askew over the linens.

"Go!" She moaned at him, throwing her blanket off and sighing deeply, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. "God knows how much you need this cruise, dad." Sarah said, yawning. "You and Irene have been working your butt off these past few years. Go." Her last word was accentuated with a shooing motion as she tried blinking the sleep from her eyes.

"But Sarah, are you sure? We'll be gone for three months—"

"I said it was _fine_, dad. Now I'm serious; get outta here before you miss your boat."

With a grin and a salute, Robert (decked out in typical tourist clothes, Hawaiian shirt and all) backed out of his daughter's room, tromping down the stairs to where Irene was waiting at the front door. Toby stood next to her, grumbling as she fussed with his hair and fretted over him like the mother hen she was.

"No sweets before bed, and definitely not before dinner! Make sure you clean your room too; and floss before bed! Don't forget to floss before bed!"

"_Mom_!" Toby whined, slapping her hands away. Irene stared sternly at him for a moment, clearly peeved he was trying to ignore her. Sarah, a robe thrown over her rather scant bedclothes, trotted down the stairs, smirking lightly at Toby's expression.

"Don't worry, Irene; I'll take good care of him." She said, and Irene looked up to the twenty-five year old with an apologetic expression.

"Oh, I know you will dear, but I just…" She trailed off, twiddling with her fingers as she looked down to Toby with motherly affection. Sarah smiled a bit, somehow able to relate to her stepmother when she saw Irene brush her fingers through Toby's hair.

"I know." Sarah said softly, before grabbing Toby's hand and tugging him back from the door. Robert nodded at her briefly, smiling at the sight of his two children standing together. He in turn grabbed his wife's hand, picking up some bags with the other, and turned around to lead Irene out the doors. "See you in three months!" Sarah called out after them as the door shut firmly. She looked down at Toby, whose bottom lip was quivering.

"Three months isn't that long, right Sarah?" He asked her. Sarah laid a hand on his blonde curls, ruffling his hair.

"Not if you have something to pass the time." With a little grin at Toby's cry of protest (his hair was undeniably messy now thanks to her), Sarah bounded off towards the kitchen, throwing the refrigerator door open to peer inside. "What do you want to eat for breakfast, Toby?" Sarah yelled into the living room. Toby stuck his head in, shrugging.

"I dunno." He said. "Anything's fine." Smirking at Sarah's frustrated sigh, Toby looked down at a peculiar green figure strangely enamoured with a brown stain on the carpet (undeniably something from a soda pop spill). His head jerked back up to make sure Sarah was preoccupied, before stealing further away in the living room and kneeling next to the creature. It looked like a tiny human with an enormously sized nose (too enormous to be considered humanoid). However it was undoubtedly nonhuman, not simply because of the size of its nose, or the size of its overall body, but because of the strange antenna-like tentacles that sprouted where a human's ears would be.

"Hey Sqeek," Toby started, frightening the little creature as it suddenly jolted up, screaming at the top of its lungs. Toby just blinked at him, ignoring the ringing in his ears. "What are you doing?"

Sqeek looked up at Toby, smiling brightly at the young eleven-year old. "Young master Tobias!" It… squeaked, scrambling up to bow. His head smashed against the floor, and he righted himself, holding his head and moaning in pain. Toby just grinned at the little goblins antics, waiting patiently for him. "I'ms telling you thousands of times, young master Tobias!" He exclaimed, his voice exasperated. "I's not 'Sqeek'! I's is 'Semaphorus Quickius Easius Elasticus Komfortabilis'!"

"Whatever Sqeek." Toby said again, before jabbing at the brown stain in the ground. "Why were you staring at the stain?" He asked again, and Sqeek looked down at it, his face clouding with happiness.

"Stain looky like poop!"

Toby rolled his eyes. "Everything looks like poop to you." Sqeek shrugged, and Toby rolled his eyes once more before getting up. He left the little goblin staring fascinatingly at the brown soda pop ("poop!") stain, and looked around the living room for the other little goblins that had decided to call themselves his 'protectors' way back in kindergarten.

He recognized some commotion in one corner, and crept towards it, sighing as he saw another two goblins fighting over a board game. The first one was so small, a helmet literally swallowed up his entire body (although it had holes for his arms and eyes), save the gigantic feet adorned in red shoes. He was waving some Monopoly dollar bills in the air, trying to keep them away from the other goblin, who was much larger than him and Sqeek (but still only reaching Toby's waist). This goblin was almost skeletal in appearance, a horned helmet atop his head and wearing spiked armour, brandishing a curved sword and demanding the other goblin to "give me the damn money!"

"What's going on?" Toby asked, crossing his arms as he looked down at the two of them. They both jumped when he appeared, turning to him.

"Sneek won't give me the damn money so I can win!" The skeletal goblin declared in his gruff voice, waving his sword threateningly in the air. Toby sent him a look, and he reluctantly sheathed it, still glaring at the goblin he called Sneek.

"Skuell deserves it! He took my toothpicks away!" Sneek countered in his squeaky high (yet haughty sounding) voice. Toby sighed, shaking his head and knowing he couldn't really do anything to resolve the conflict (goblins are notoriously more stubborn than mules).

"Where's Maelicious?" The young boy asked the two, wondering about the last member of their little troupe. He was a goblin about the size of Skuell, who had a helmet for a head that flipped up if you stepped on his toe. His entire body was virtually nothingness, making for a wonderful trashcan when opportunity arose.

Sneek pointed into the corner, and Toby turned to see the goblin seated silently on the ground, unmoving. Maelicious was probably the goblin who fit the description of 'protector' the most, given his soundless and observant nature. (It also helped to have a wicked looking sword strapped to his little waist.) Toby wandered over to him, and Maelicious bowed, his armour clanking quietly. (In accordance with his placid nature, Maelicious wasn't a talker.)

"Toby?" Sarah called out from the kitchen, peeking her head into the living room and catching sight of Toby standing idly in a random corner. Her face twisted in confusion for a moment at the sight of her little brother and the abandoned game of monopoly. "Are you doing anything right now?" She asked him, and he shook his head. "Okay, then can you go get the mail? Breakfast is almost ready." Toby nodded, and Sarah slipped out of the room.

Sqeek, Sneek, and Skuell (who had gone still once Sarah appeared), started moving again, snickering under their breaths. Normal humans couldn't see the goblins, so they just went about their merry way in whatever shape or form they desired. Toby could see them, however, because he was… special. And because he was special, the goblins treated him accordingly (though not all the time, because goblins are natural rule-breakers at heart).

Toby padded to the front door, reaching up and unlocking it before slipping outside briefly. The mailbox was stationed right beside the doorbell, so the young boy just reached up and fished around its interior until he caught a fairly thin stack of letters. They were all addressed to his parents (as they were house bills), so Toby simply threw them on the end table inside the house beside the door. He had just started towards the door handle, his hand closing around the metal knob when suddenly a silver tabby cat flew into the house from out of nowhere!

Yelping (rather loudly), Toby slammed the door shut, whirling around to see the cat waving her tail lazily in front of him. There was a yellowed envelope in her mouth that she set down gingerly at Toby's feet before escaping to a comfy chair just as Sarah walked into the room.

"Toby?" Sarah asked. "Are you alright? I heard you scream." The younger Williams picked up the parchment, studying it. She was drying her hands with a dish towel before finally catching sight of the tabby cat lounging on her sofa. "Why is there a cat in here?!" She exclaimed, whirling on her brother. "You know dad's allergic!" Toby waved her off, flipping the envelope to the front side.

"Dad won't be here for three months, we can get rid of it before then." He answered simply. He scanned the address on the front of the parchment, blinking. "It's addressed to me." Sarah looked over, peering over her younger brother's shoulder.

"Open it." She suggested smartly, grinning at him. But he didn't, his pale blue eyes skimming further down the front of the envelope, expression twisting in confusion. Breaking away from the envelope, Toby looked up to his sister.

"What's a Hogwarts?"

"Well if you read the letter enclosed in the envelope, maybe you'll find out."

Shrieking, the two Williams children spun around, catching sight of a rather stern-looking old woman seated on their couch where the tabby cat once was.

"How…" Sarah started, trailing off when the woman gestured to the letter with her head. Toby, his hands shaking, ripped it apart, grasping onto the flailing yellow parchment with his small fingers. His eyes scanned quickly over the paper despite fumbling it so much, throat going dry as his sister read it silently with him.

"Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry." Toby said weakly, looking up to Sarah, who was also staring blankly at the piece of paper.

"Well," she muttered faintly, "at least you know what a Hogwarts is."

...

...

...**  
**

"Okay, let me get this straight," Toby interrupted, just finishing eating his eggs and ignoring his sister's furious whispers about manners, "So because of my magical powers, you're going to send me to a school that teaches magic?"

Minerva, still looking rather stern as she sat primly on the couch in her emerald green robes, adjusted her glasses and nodded. "Yes, that is the basic idea."

Toby blinked once, then twice, before he whirled around to smile brightly at his sister.

"_Please_ Sarah?! Can I go, can I go, can I go?" He asked excitedly, bouncing on the sofa on his knees, the transfiguration professor looking rather surprised behind him. Sarah shot her half-brother a glare, and he quickly quieted down, his teeth glinting brightly as he continued to smile at her. She tried to compose herself, smoothing her bathrobe down for no apparent reason and fumbling with her tangled auburn locks.

"I'm not so sure I want to send Toby away to a… boarding school. Even if it _can_ help him control his magic." The Labyrinth champion admitted, her gaze never breaking from Minerva's own shocked stare. "I would rather he wasn't so far from home, and there are… complications." The Hogwarts professor raised an eyebrow, staring up at Sarah through her spectacles. (The young woman was suddenly reminded of her English teacher back in high school.)

"Complications?" The cat-human pressed. "I'm sure whatever complications you have can be resolved, so long as you may state them clearly to me." Sarah gnawed at her lip, and Toby began to worry, his blue eyes flickering from his (hopefully) new professor and his sister.

"They are strictly confidential." Sarah snapped, jerking her head away from the inquiring gazes of the professor and her little brother. "Besides that, I'm not Toby's legal guardian; my parents are. And _they're_ on a three month cruise." But Toby's enthusiasm would not be deterred, and he jumped on the comment.

"But they have their cell phones with them! You can call and ask." He prodded. Sarah flinched, hoping Toby wouldn't have remembered that (though unfortunately he did). Minerva remained coolly blank, even though she had no idea what a 'cell phone' was. "_Please_ Sarah?" Toby continued, clasping his hands together as if praying to God.

"Young Mr. Williams brings up a valid point." Minerva said, speaking up. Sarah's twitched to look at her, eyes narrowed. "As you are _not_ the permanent legal guardian of Mr Williams here, you are not permitted to make executive decisions on the basis of which educational institution he will attend." Standing up and dusting her long robes off, Minerva took a pinch of something from her robes, her heels clopping over to the unused fireplace in the living room. "As such, I will intrude on your hospitality a second time this summer to gather Mr. Williams parent's _legal_ decision." And with a quick muttering under her breath and a flick of her wrist, the Transfiguration professor disappeared in a swirl of green smoke.

Toby and Sarah stared at the now-empty fireplace, blinking owlishly.

"_Cool_!" Toby exclaimed, jumping off the couch and rushing over to step into the hearth. His eyes ran over every nook and cranny, wondering how on earth the witch did something like that. Sarah, however, was sitting on the couch with a dazed look in her eyes, hands squeezing each other tightly in her lap until her nails started to draw blood.

...

...

...**  
**

Albus Dumbledore smiled at his place behind his desk, rolling a lemon drop around in his mouth as he waited for the telltale sign of his gargoyles jumping aside to let in his visitor. He counted down the seconds (five) before hearing Minerva McGonagall knocking, and called out, "Come in!" before the Transfiguration professor opened the door, her emerald robes swishing around her as she walked in.

"Good morning, Headmaster." She greeted shortly, stopping in front of his desk and not making a move towards the conjured seat behind her. Dumbledore smiled beneath his wrinkles, gesturing to the seat.

"Yes, a very good morning, Minerva. Won't you take a seat?" He offered, chuckling to himself as she did so. (One would think that after so many years in his service, she would be a bit more informal with him.) They went about their daily routine, Dumbledore asking if she would like a lemon drop or some tea – both which she declined – before settling down and diving into the more important matters.

"I have just arrived from the Williams residence." Minerva stared briskly, her hands folded neatly in her lap. Dumbledore hummed under his breath, stroking his long beard. "They have asked to be given more time in order to make a decision. The legal guardians of young Tobias Williams are currently not in the country, and need to be contacted in order to confirm Mr. Williams's attendance to Hogwarts."

"Nothing unusual." Dumbledore pondered, tilting his head at the witch. "All students are expected to reply back to Hogwarts about their attendance before a certain date. You and I are both very aware of that, Minerva." The powerful wizard folded his hands and rested them on his desk, staring at the person across from him. "So the question here remains: what is this visit truly about?"

Minerva's lips pursed and she shifted slightly in her chair. "My visit to the Williams' this morning was very… insightful." She admitted, and Dumbledore hummed with curiosity, nodding his head for her to continue. "Normally, when I encounter a muggle family to tell them their child is magical, they are not nearly as… calm… as the Williams were." Minerva shifted nervously in her seat as she recalled her conversation with the two siblings. "Both Tobias and his older sister seemed much more surprised at the mention of a _magical school_ rather than one of their own being magical themselves."

"Curious…" Dumbledore mumbled, reaching for another lemon drop. He stood up, gathering his hands under his long wizard's sleeves. Minerva stood up after him, trailing after the headmaster as he headed to his office door. There was a small smile on his face, identified with an emotion that Minerva couldn't name.

"Headmaster?" Minerva asked as they reached his door and he turned to her, his eyes twinkling brighter than ever.

"If you don't mind, Minerva, I believe I shall pay a visit to the… Williams family."

...

...

...**  
**

Sarah sat in front of the corded phone, Toby bouncing excitedly on the seat beside her as she shakily dialled her father's cell number. The strange women-who-called-herself-a-witch had left almost an hour ago, and her little brother was desperately begging her to obtain legal permission from Robert and Irene. Seeing as how he wasn't going to calm down until she did what he wanted her to do, Sarah acquiesced.

The speakerphone rang out in trills, echoing through the room at Toby's insistence of speaking to his parents with his older sister. Sarah waited with growing anxiousness as the phone trilled thrice, remarking to Toby, "They're probably busy. Let's call back tomorrow." But the eleven-year old remained steadfast, pouting (though he would call it glaring) at Sarah until she retracted her hand away from the 'end' button.

At the fifth ring, Sarah's heart leapt with panic at the telltale sound of someone answering the phone.

"Hello, Sarah?" His tentative voice came through, and Toby immediately jumped on it.

"Hi dad!" He crowed loudly, stopping his bouncing. Sarah took a deep breath, following her brother.

"Hi dad." Her answer was much more subdued and mellow, but Robert didn't seem to notice the worry in her voice.

"We're not even on the boat yet and you miss us already?" He joked, chuckling. Toby smiled brightly, opening his mouth to speak when Sarah clamped her hand over his mouth, shaking her head. It was a silent gesture not to tell their parents about Hogwarts, and though Toby was confused at his sister's decision, he nodded his head and was let the proper use of his mouth again.

"Actually, dad, we have a… situation." Sarah admitted, and there was some silence on the other end, before Robert sighed exasperatedly.

"Okay Toby. What prank did you pull this time, and how much is it going to cost me?"

Toby pouted, crossing his arms in a huff and declaring (rather haughtily), "I'm not in trouble, dad. It's actually the opposite! There's this super awesome—"Sarah shot him a look, "—and super private, boarding school that wants me to join!" He was still grinning excitedly, and Sarah felt her heart sink at her father's enthusiasm.

"That's great Tobes!" He exclaimed, laughing as he called for a minute to turn around and tell the news to his wife. It was only a moment later when Irene was on the phone, her voice undeniably worried but proud.

"What's the name of the school, sweetie?" Irene asked, and Toby looked over at Sarah. She seemed to ponder it for a second, biting the bottom of her lip before nodding.

"Hogwarts." Toby said, unable to contain his smile.

"Hmm… that's funny. I've never heard of that school before." She muttered to herself, before Sarah jumped in.

"It's very prestigious, Irene. That's probably the reason you've never heard it before. They have very specific criterion that you have to fit, and because of that there aren't many students who can attend." She waited for a heartbeat, hoping that would be enough to deter Irene from questioning further about the school. She wasn't happy giving any credit to Hogwarts though, as it would be striking a point in their favour.

"Well then I'm proud of you, Toby!" Irene replied, and Sarah could almost see her smiling widely on the other end of the line. "I'm assuming the school takes other aspects into account, as your grades aren't exactly the greatest…" she trailed off here, catching herself. "But nevertheless, that's wonderful news Toby!"

The eleven-year old grinned. "So I can go?" He asked, trembling with excitement. Robert came back on the line, laughing heartily while Sarah's heart sunk deeper in her chest.

"Of course you can go, Toby!" Robert exclaimed. "Sarah, honey, you can handle all the legal forms and such while Irene and I are gone, right?" Without waiting for an answer, Robert bid them farewell and the line clicked shut. Sarah was left in a slight daze, staring at the phone that hummed with the dial tone, while Toby cheered triumphantly beside her. The younger Williams scampered around to snatch up his Hogwarts letter, eyes hungrily taking in the elegant script in ink.

Faintly, Sarah heard the doorbell ring, and mechanically stood up to get it. She wrapped her fingers around the cold knob, not really registering the temperature or the soft creak of the aged wooden doors as she eased it open. Her mind only snapped to attention when she saw the man standing in the access-way to her home.

He was wearing a pointed hat decorated with stars.

"… Merlin?"

Dumbledore chuckled good-naturedly, taking off his hat to bow to her.

"You flatter me, Ms. Williams, but I'm assuredly not as powerful as the greatest wizard who ever lived." He straightened, that amused smile still lingering on his lips. "My name is Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbldore; Order of Merlin, First Class; Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards; Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot; Grand Sorcerer and—"

By this time Toby had rounded the corner to inspect the new houseguest (ready to prank him into oblivion if it turned out to be one of Sarah's annoying suitors), but his mouth dropped open as soon as the old wizard began to introduce himself.

"The Headmaster of Hogwarts…" Toby interrupted, blue eyes wide with shock. Dumbledore's own blue eyes (though twinkling in earnest) flickered over to the small boy standing flabbergasted in the middle of the living room. He smiled, bobbing his head.

"How do you do, Mr. Williams?" Dumbledore asked, placing his pointed hat back on. "I do hope you'll excuse the intrusion." He looked over at Sarah, who was scrutinizing him rather sharply. She jolted a bit when she realized she was blocking the doorway, and quickly (but grudgingly) stepped aside for him to enter. He smiled kindly at her, robes swishing as he entered the modest home. Toby trailed after him, blue eyes impossibly wide as he took in the image of the man who was to be his principal.

Sarah just watched him from the doorway. The door had swung shut, without wind or flesh to guide it closed. But she hardly noticed it, taking in the sight of the wizened wizard standing in her living room, his blue eyes twinkling with curiosity as he took in the sight of her rather normal home. Discreetly, she gulped, wondering what kind of wonders the old man lived in compared to her more humble existence. But he was surprisingly amused as he glanced at the television and the electric lights around the room, Toby trailing him much like a puppy.

"Hmm." Albus hummed, turning to smile at Toby and Sarah in his strangely knowing way. "Well you certainly seem like a genuine muggle family." Sarah blinked, inching further into the room, her hand coming to rest on the top of the couch. Toby had snapped out of his trance at the new word, standing up a little straighter when he finally registered Sarah's less than trusting demeanour.

"I'm sorry; muggle?" She asked, raising a brow as she wondered if that was some sort of insult. But Dumbledore just smiled reassuringly, his hands clasped behind his back and almost seeming to… glitter… in the room. For a moment, Sarah was reminded of the Goblin King, with the glittering dust settling around him, his skin sparkling faintly in the dim light of his room. But Sarah pushed the thoughts of him away, still uncomfortable of his presence despite spending many of her weekends in it.

"Muggle is a term used by the magical world to describe non-magical people." Dumbledore said. Sarah paused at his answer, scrutinizing the headmaster once more.

"Like me, right?" Dumbledore bobbed his head, still smiling.

"Quite so."

A long silence stretched after that, with Toby looking between his older sister and the Headmaster of Hogwarts. He wondered at the tension that seeped from Sarah's body, cautiously stepping back to let her arms wrap around his shoulders when her eyes settled on him. He could feel her tense muscles, and let his hand come up to lay across the top of her hand before Toby turned to the wizard with the long name.

"Mr. Dumbledore, sir?" Toby spoke up, feeling Sarah's arm twitch when his voice rang out loud and clear. "I don't mean to be rude or anything; but what are you doing here?"

Sarah snapped her head quickly towards the old wizard, eyes narrowed as she contemplated Toby's rather innocent question. "Yes, what _are_ you doing here, Mr. Dumbledore? Ms. McGonagall was here just a few hours ago, and she expressed clearly that _she_ would be the one coming back to hear my parents decision." Sarah added. Dumbledore just smiled mysteriously

"Yes, well, Professor McGonagall has brought to my attention that you are against Mr. Williams attendance to Hogwarts because of… complications." At the last word, Dumbledore tipped his head down slightly, looking at Sarah over his little spectacles with his blue eyes twinkling. His head righted up a second later, and Sarah couldn't stop to think about his strange action. "That being said, I am here today to address any concerns Mr. Williams may have about attending Hogwarts, and, in addition to that, hope to find a solution for said complications."

Sarah blinked a little dumbly at him, Toby looking up at her worriedly as she slowly shuffled to the couch to sit upon it. He followed her the entire way, quietly watching the exchange between the two adults. Dumbledore also sat down in one of the lone armchairs, and Toby was glad Sqeek had quickly scampered off of it before he was crushed by the headmaster's derriere.

"I'm sorry for sounding obstinate, Mr. Dumbedore," Sarah replied with a grim tightening of her lips, "but I'm afraid it's just too risky for Toby to be isolated from me… or my family." She added, twisting her fingers nervously at Dumbledore's inquisitive gaze. Toby, however, was a bit more upset in his expression.

"May I inquire why?" The headmaster asked, leaning forward in his seat slightly as Sarah fidgeted.

"It's a _very_ private matter." She assured, still unrelenting. "And it's something that Toby can't do by himself, which is precisely why I need to be with him constantly." Toby shot his older sister a glare, thoroughly put out now and quite positive that he would not be allowed to go to a magical school. But Dumbledore remained infuriatingly calm, easing back into the armchair and linking his fingers as he contemplated the woman's words (because girl, Sarah was not).

"Most peculiar, your situation." He admitted, humming thoughtfully. "Normally, I would not be so persistent for a child's attendance to Hogwarts, but I have noticed that the… _accidental magic_, if it can even be called that, is present in this household much too often." Dumbledore then turned his head slightly to Toby, smiling with mischievousness. Toby flushed under his gaze, embarrassment causing him to dart his eyes away from the headmaster's surprisingly piercing gaze. "Leaving him untaught could result in very dangerous results. So now you see my dilemma."

Sarah studied the old wizard for a while, remaining silent a few moments after he finished his explanation. Then, she seemed to sit up straighter, her hands curling around each other confidently in her lap. "There's a simple solution to all of this." She replied, and Dumbledore's brow rose in surprise.

"Is there?" He asked, and she nodded shortly.

"Hire me."

Toby looked at his sister, than back at Dumbledore, who had only let a sliver of his surprise show on his face. But the old wizard composed himself very quickly, the twinkle gone from his eye as he stared seriously at Sarah.

"Ms. Williams, I'm afraid we do not teach subjects similar in a Muggle school. Our subjects are all based around—"

"Magic, I know." Sarah interrupted, waving her hand in a careless, offhanded manner. Dumbledore was reminded of a queen dismissing her subordinates, and wondered faintly at that. "But surely there is a position in your staff that would not require a magical touch? I would be just as content scrubbing floors as I would lecturing in a classroom, I assure you." Sarah said briskly, her eyes hard in determination. Dumbledore seemed to sag against the chair in bewilderment and exhaustion.

"And this is the only other option you will allow? Let you come to Hogwarts with Toby, or not let him come at all?" He confirmed, smiling slightly when Sarah nodded. "And your parents? Have they come to a decision?" At that, Sarah shifted nervously in her seat, but the resolve in her eyes did not falter.

"They have already agreed to let Toby attend Hogwarts." She admitted, clearly not happy with the idea. "However, as they are vacationing for three months, _I_ am Toby's temporary guardian and the only person capable of signing the necessary legal documents to allow him to attend Hogwarts. They won't be _too _terribly disappointed if I disallow Toby's attendance to your school; I'm trusted unconditionally."

Dumbledore couldn't help but smile at the young woman across from him, marvelling at her clever tactics and the absolute ease at which she managed to manipulate the situation to her advantage. The old wizard didn't need to know that this strange ability of hers was derived from many a conversation with the Goblin King, and a need to prevent her own words twisting in on themselves so she would not be left vulnerable to the fae's whims.

"I will see what I can do." He nodded, mostly to himself. As he rose – Sarah rising with him – there was a small _pop_ nearby, and Sarah and Toby turned to the spot on the floor beside Dumbledore, surprised to see a small creature shuffling nervously there. Its large ears flopped rather helplessly, and Sarah's heart immediately went out to it, with the meager scraps of cloth tied precariously around its horribly thin body.

Big, moist, eyes turned to Sarah and Toby, and it gave a very loud, very hysterical shriek that sent Sarah's hands flying to her heart, and Toby stepping back.

"It is… it is the young master and the missy!" The little thing screamed, dropping violently to the floor and sobbing out unintelligible words. The two siblings were thoroughly confused, and that feeling only intensified when the Headmaster of Hogwarts looked much the same as them. "Oh, Lolly is blessed! Blessed by presence of young master and missy! Lolly will die happy now! Forever happy!!"

Toby and Sarah looked at each other, shock mirroring the others face before Sarah turned to Dumbledore, confusion running rampant in her expression. "Mr. Dumbledore, what—", but he interrupted her, his calm demeanour masking his apparent surprise rather quickly.

"Lolly." He said softly, and the little creature shot up, her mouth clamping shut and big, fat tears dripping down her gaunt face.

"Lolly comes to deliver message to Headmaster Dumbledorey, sir!" She squeaked, trying not to stare at Sarah and Toby across from her. "Headmaster's visitor, Mr. Locksyhart is waiting for you, sir." She sniffled again, and Dumbledore nodded kindly at her, allowing her to sneak one more glance at the two Williams siblings before popping out of the house with a slight _crack_, scaring the two muggleborns.

"What… what was that Mr. Dumbledore?" Toby asked with slight awe. Sarah's eyes flickered up to the old wizard, and she was surprised to see a smile stretching over his face in glee.

"That, my dear boy, was a house elf."

"A house elf?" The two siblings echoed, looking to each other and then towards the empty spot where Lolly once stood. Dumbledore bobbed his head, his long beard dangling from his chin as if it was dancing. Toby looked to his goblins who were whispering conspiratorially in the corner (like goblins did), trying to be as quiet as possible, but failing miserably because being quiet was not naturally capable for a goblin.

"Is cousin, I tell you! Thingy that pooped in here was cousin!" Sqeek exclaimed righteously, his grubby hands planted on his waist as he glared down at Sneek. But the helmet-clad goblin was not to be outdone, and waved his much-taller-than-himself-spear threateningly at the telepathic goblin.

"It didn't 'poop' in here, it cracked! That was clearly a crack!" Sneek argued, rattling his helmet armour in frustration. Skuell conked him on the head with the butt of his curved sword, spittle flying from his mouth and raining down on the shorter goblin (who was suddenly thankful for his protective headgear) as he yelled at him.

"Shut up about the cracking poop!" Skuell waved his arms about, and Toby wondered if the goblin was partially deaf. "And bog the stupid cousins o' ours! We just saw'em last week, ya ninny!" Sneek seemed to take offense to that (though some goblins took offense to practically anything) and jabbed his spear threateningly towards Skuell.

"Those nice things are _not_ our goblin cousins! _Our_ goblin cousins are fierce! Righteous! And fierce!" He exclaimed. But Sqeek begged to differ, sighing melancholically and tracing a pattern (the brown stain in the carpet) with the tip of his shoe.

"Like the Gingygotts goblins." Sqeek confirmed, nodding his head. "Maelicious lucky to have Gingygotts goblins as his cousins. We's only have housey elvey thingys as cousins." Sneek conked him over the head, yelling and cursing that their cousins weren't 'the damn nice things!' and Maelicious wasn't the only one there with 'fierce goblin cousins'. Skuell just alternated from yelling at Sneek to yelling at Sqeek, sometimes mixing their names up because of the similarity. The two goblins didn't notice though, and responded the same to either name.

Toby groaned in his head, wincing as the noise grew louder and he became unable to hear his new headmaster and his sister talking. Maelicious, blissful creature that he is, sensed Toby's distress and stepped forward, his armour clanking quietly. He put his foot out, letting one of the three arguing goblins press on his toe to let his helmet swing open. With ease that came from years of practice, Maelicious reached out blindly, grabbing Sneek, Sqeek, and Skuell and shoving all three of them inside his empty body. The helmet lid flung back down with one loud clank, and the shouting voices became a hush that was easily placed as background noise.

"So it's settled then." Sarah said definitively, and Toby's head whirled around in surprise, clearly upset that he had missed her entire conversation with the headmaster. "Toby will go to Hogwarts." At that, the young boy started whooping and yelling in excitement, giving Sarah a fierce hug. Dumbledore chuckled heartily, bending down as he started to inform the young new wizard of the trip to Diagon Alley and all the school supplies he would need to buy.

Sarah stood apart from them, watching Toby with a small smile on her lips as she whispered under her breath.

"And so will I."

...

...

...**  
**

Jareth sighed, twirling one of his crystal spheres between his fingers as he waited for the telltale shift of Sarah entering his room with an incredibly sick Toby. After a few years, it was obvious that Sarah could no longer carry her little brother into the Underground like she used to, and was forced to let him see the place for himself. He never encountered Jareth (although that was at the Goblin King's own discretion, and not at Sarah's request), but Sarah had happily introduced him to Hoggle, Sir Didymus and Ludo. Toby was quite taken with the three of them, and Jareth sighed again as he wondered what it would be like if he had been allowed to rear Toby from his infant days.

The air in the Labyrinth seemed to wriggle excitedly at the entrance of two new inhabitants, and Jareth stood as he recognized the aura of the Williams siblings enter his domain. Why he had continued to let them use his bedroom, Jareth would never know, but he admitted to himself that there was some appeal to catching the faint fragrances of Sarah's scent upon his bed.

Humming a tune under his breath, Jareth lunged off his spiked throne, snatching his cape and whirling it around his shoulders. The glitter left a faint trail on the stone floors as he walked out of his throne room, the doors magically parting for him without any physical encouragement. He breezed past them, making the customary trek to his chambers along the darkened, stone halls. It would have been possible to simply teleport there, but Jareth found the physicality of walking really helped to calm the wild magic flitting around in him.

As he neared the door, one of his perfectly arched brows rose at the sight of the dwarf, the fox, and the… large creature, huddling around the doorway. It was slightly open, and Jareth could see Sarah's dark hair from his position, as well as the tufts of Toby's own fairer locks. He was awake, still looking sick but seeming to calm in the Goblin King's room. Sarah was feeling his forehead, her mouth moving as she whispered to him about… a hogwarts?

Jareth's mismatched eyes snapped over to the dwarf, who had just noticed him standing there. His smaller body froze up, and the gulp he had taken was clearly discernible in the silent hallway. The Goblin King crossed his arms, giving Hoggle a pointed look, as if to say, "Find out what they're talking about."

Hoggle sighed quietly, but nodded and turned back around, pushing past Sir Didymus and Ludo to bark a gruff hello to Sarah and Toby. Jareth could hear the little boy cry out in delight, and couldn't help his fingers curling into his palm as he imagined that innocent voice directed at him; speaking to him as if he was the _world_.

Twitching faintly, Jareth spun to leave the three of them alone when a slight movement at the door caught his attention, and he froze.

"Your Majesty?"

Her voice was quiet, like the flutter of a dress in a wild dance with masks and music and outrageous laughter. It was strained with politeness, but more than that… it was strained with uncertainty. And that uncertainty hurt Jareth more than he ever thought it would, because it meant that despite his many generous gifts, despite his many sacrifices… that young slip of a girl – _woman_ – was still unable to trust his intentions… trust _him_.

"How frail humans are…" he murmured almost silently to himself. "Yet how stubborn their natures."

Sarah didn't appear to have heard him, as she was still standing behind his glittering cape, her hands wringing together slightly. Jareth could hear the trio in his chambers, the fox with his incessantly loud voice and the dwarf with his incredibly whiny one. The largest of the three was mostly quiet, but every now and then he would speak up in his childlike voice. Toby's voice was the loudest of them all, energetic and animated as he talked about this, 'hogwarts'.

"I will tend to Toby as soon as he falls asleep." Jareth promised, feeling Sarah shift at his prolonged reply. He wondered why she had not stolen back into his room, instead choosing to stand out in the hallway with him, staring at his glittering cape. Jareth did not see the uncertainty in her eyes, but he knew it was there. He just didn't know of the sudden determination that came with it as well.

"Toby's going to attend a magical school." Sarah spoke up suddenly, dark eyes staring stubbornly on the back of the Goblin King's head. "He won't be able to stay home, and I'm going with him too, so I was wondering if you could enchant a mirror there so we can still make the… make the trips." She had started out speaking very quickly, but her voice faltered on the end, as if she was ashamed to ask him to do anything for her. But Jareth stayed stoic and silent, running through the new information in his head.

"A magical school… for magical humans?" He asked softly, turning to face the Champion of the Labyrinth. Sarah's breath hitched when his piercing eyes settled on her, unable to help tightening her fists as her mouth went dry. Almost dumbly, she nodded and Jareth turned away again. He continued to stand there, waiting for her to speak while never knowing how distraught she was after his eyes flickered elsewhere.

'_Pull yourself together, Sarah!_' She reprimanded herself, fingers loosening. '_It's just the Goblin King. You've faced him before and won, so why are you freaking out now?!_' Inhaling softly, as if to prepare herself to the final confrontation, Sarah rubbed her neck and silently cursed her inability to stare at anything besides the wild blonde hair at the back of Jareth's head. " Yes. It's… it's called 'Hogwarts: The School of Witchcraft and Wizardry', although that name is much too long so people usually just call it Hogwarts. The school is somewhere in Scotland and we'll be taking a train there; or at least, Toby will be because I've accepted a job there and I'll need to… to floop to the school or something so I think maybe once I get my room I can find a mirror and you can enchant it before the kids are let in for the school year and— and yeah." Sarah cut herself off, realizing she was rambling rather foolishly, and blushing pink in embarrassment. '_Way to show him you're not intimidated, Sarah!_' She cursed at herself, squeezing her eyes tightly.

Jareth remained silent, however, eyes narrowed as he pondered the new events. '_A magical world in the Aboveground…_' A smirk lit across his face, and he brushed his cloak aside to peer at Sarah over his shoulder. She looked very much like her fifteen-year old scared-out-of-her-mind self, and Jareth wondered if she would be comfortable enough with him for him to—"It will be done. Simply call upon one of your little friends once you have settled in your new environment." Jareth said, cutting off his own thoughts, forcing himself not to wander down that road before stalking off into the halls, leaving Sarah standing in front of his chamber doors with impossibly wide eyes.

...

...

...**  
**

"… insult. Insult to us goblins, I say! Young master Tobias deserves better than some _wizards_ feeble hands. He deserves the agile hands of a goblin. _Any_ goblin, because a wizard would never be able to match the craftsmanship of a _goblin_. Insult! Nothing but an _insult_, I say…"

A few of the wizards strolling along Diagon Alley looked over at the short old Gringotts goblin hobbling along the streets, carrying a velvet bag in both hands almost reverently, and yet longingly, as if it held all his hopes and dreams. He snarled violently when someone bumped into him, jostling the precious cargo. The wizard fled rather quickly at the bared fangs of the goblin, and this action prompted many of the magical humans to step aside, creating a wide berth.

Nodding satisfactorily Ragnok, the president of the Gringotts Wizarding Bank, hobbled down Diagon Alley a little more before stopping in front of a shop with an old wand displayed in the window on a purple cushion. He glanced at the wand that belonged to Rowena Ravenclaw, glaring disdainfully at it as he respectively admired the brilliant craftsmanship. Jerking his head away, as if burned by his own thoughts, Ragnok entered Ollivander's Wand Shop, still holding the velvet bag as if his life was on the line.

"Yes, how may I help you?" Ollivander asked, turning to see a goblin standing at his doorway. Surprise coloured his face for a split second, before he cleared his throat and stepped forward. "Mr. Ragnok, I am terribly sorry, but I don't—"

"Sell wands to magical folk other than wizards and witches, I know." Ragnok said gruffly, cutting off the white-haired wizard. He stepped further into the shop, still staring disdainfully at all the wands he would be able to use, but couldn't because of the Ministry of Magic's wand banning law. "I'm not here for a wand; I do quite well without one." Ragnok turned his hard eyes to Ollivander's pale ones, reluctantly extending his arms to offer the wizard the velvet bag. "Rather, I am here to give you materials to _make_ a wand."

If Ollivander was surprised at being given something from a goblin, he was incredibly good at hiding it. Instead, there was a hunger in his eyes as he carefully peeled open the bag, peering inside and reaching in to bring out a block of wood. The wandmaker could feel the magical energy throbbing in it, and was fascinated with its intensity. Ragnok, still holding the velvet bag up, grinned with arrogance.

"What type of wood is this? I've never seen something so magnificent before." Ollivander admitted, still gazing starry-eyed at the golden-coloured wood that seemed to shine in the light. The shine was merely a by-product of the wood's natural reflective nature, and Ragnok grimaced at the slightly dusty surface of Ollivander's hands marring it.

"It's satinwood, a tree that's native to southern India and Sri Lanka, which explains why _you've_ never seen it before." Ragnok answered gruffly. Ollivander looked up sharply at the goblin's words, eyes narrowing as he realized who had given him this wonderful material. (Goblins never did anything without something being of benefit for themselves.) But Ragnok ignored the suspicious stares, reaching into the bag himself to bring out the second material needed to make a wand for a magical human.

"A wand core?" Ollivander asked as a wooden box came out of the velvet this time. Ragnok nodded, handling the case gently and reverently as he threw the bag onto the floor. Glancing up at Ollivander once, and seeing him staring intensely at the box, the goblin eased the lid open, displaying a single strand of something pale and shimmery, absolutely pulsating with magical power. "Exceptional…I've never seen anything like it…" The wandmaker murmured to himself, reaching a hand out.

"NO!" Ragok roared, slamming the box shut and rearing back. Ollivander jumped in surprise, dropping the satinwood still in his hand. It – thankfully – landed on the velvet that was dropped on the floor, but was ignored in favour of Ragnok's deathly stare at the old wandmaker cowering in front of his desk. "You will _not_ touch this with your filthy human hands!" Ragnok hissed. His hard eyes flashed dangerously, and Ollivander gulped as he nodded slowly. That seemed to placate the president of the wizarding bank, and he stepped forward to scoop up the velvet bag and the satinwood.

"Then… then how am I supposed to make the wand?" Ollivander asked a little indignantly, and Ragnok shot him another glare. He placed the two wand materials in the velvet bag once more, setting them down with extreme care and longing on the wandmaker's desk, pushing away all the other inferior wands and letting them clatter to the floor. The goblin ignored the wandmaker's shout of protest, turning to him with another glare etched on his face.

"You are a _wizard_, are you not?" Ragnok spat, and Ollivander's eyes narrowed in offense. "Be forewarned, wandmaker," the goblin started, making his way to the store's entrance; "_Never_ touch the wand core with iron, or its magic will fade and become useless." Ollivander nodded, eyes flickering to the velvet bag on his desk.

"And why shouldn't I touch it with my hands?" He asked, wondering if the glimmering strand of _something_ was so incredibly delicate that it would break upon contact. But it soon became apparent that that was not the reason as Ragnok peered at Ollivander from over his shoulder, an insultingly fanged smile at his lips as he paused at the doorway.

"Because you would _sully_ it with your _magical filth_."

_

* * *

A/N _Whew! That took a while to finish. Originally, this chapter was going to include Toby's trip to Diagon Alley, but I figured I tortured you enough with the excruciatingly long wait, so here you go! The next chapter documents Toby and Sarah's trip to Diagon Alley. Not sure when it'll be out, but it'll probably be a shorter chapter than this one, so it should be out faster. _Should_ being the key word.

**Disclaimer:** You all know I don't own Harry Potter or the Labyrinth (I'm not going to bother writing disclaimers when fanfiction is a disclaimer in itself). But I would also like to mention that I do not own any of the goblins introduced in this chapter (or any chapter after this). All goblins are property of Brian Froud.

That being said, please review!

Snowflake Flower


	3. Diagonally?

**Of Hogwarts and Inheritances**

**Chapter 2: Diagonally?**

It was nine thirty.

It was nine hours, thirty minutes, and twenty-four seconds into the day.

…

"Oh shit, its nine thirty!"

Scrambling from his bed and landing in a jumbled heap on the floor, Toby shot out of his room to seclude himself in the bathroom down the hall, hollering at the top of his voice about how it was, "NINE THIRTY!" and he was "SO LATE!"

From the bottom of the stairs, Sarah just grinned. Dressed immaculately in a pair of black slacks and a pretty cream-white silk blouse, Sarah remembered the days when she was young, foolish, and horribly tardy for everything she had ever done. (Including babysitting a certain younger brother who was suddenly cursing up a storm as he dashed back to his room.)

"Toby! Language!" Sarah admonished as she glared at his bedroom door, whirling around to re-enter the kitchen and snag a piece of toast, stuffing it in her mouth. She nursed her cup of coffee, sighing in happiness as the aroma perked up her senses. It was only after her third sip of the wonderful, life-saving beverage that Toby skidded into the room, his hair askew and sweater half-on, half-off. Sarah rolled her eyes, pushing a plate of toast and eggs at him.

"Morning!" He said quickly, plopping onto the chair to devour his breakfast like any typical eleven-year old boy. Sarah just shook her head, finishing off her toast and taking another sip of coffee.

"Late morning." She drawled, grinning at her brother. "Too excited to sleep?" Sarah was still a little surprised at the twinge in her chest when Toby smiled brightly at her question, fidgeting in his seat as he chugged his orange juice. His older sister just sighed, placing her index finger on the bottom of the glass and tipping it downwards, her eyes narrowed at him. "Slow down. You've still got five minutes before Ms. McGonagall comes."

Toby obeyed, finishing the rest of his juice before setting the glass on the table, wiping the excess liquid with his sweater sleeve (despite Sarah's initial protest). "I know, but how could I _not_ be excited? We're going to a place where there are probably _tons_ of wizards and witches doing magic all the time! And I get my own _wand_! My own _WAND_! How cool is _that_?!" He exclaimed, foregoing fidgeting for outright bouncing. Sarah just grinned, although the gesture was somewhat strained.

"Very cool." Sarah assured. "Just don't go running off where I can't see you." She warned, and Toby rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, yeah, I'll stay close." He grouched, pouting. Sarah grinned at him, reaching out to ruffle his hair. He yelped a little, leaning back and trying to bat her arm away. She laughed, complying with his whims and leaning back against the counter for another sip of coffee. The hot liquid was halfway down her throat before she started choking at the sound of the fireplace roaring to life. Toby, eyes alight and brimming with excitement, rushed into the living room. Sarah followed quickly behind after leaving her half-full cup of coffee in the sink.

Minerva McGonagall was standing in front of the fireplace with her hands gathered primly in front of her, eyes stern as she spotted Sarah's entrance. A small nod accompanied her greeting, and Sarah simply nodded back.

"Well then." The professor started. "Shall we get going?" At Toby's enthusiastic nod, Minerva reached into her robes, pulling out a handful of some sort of powder. She instructed Toby and Sarah to hold their own hands out, depositing a small pile of the dust-like substance into the centre of their palms. "This is floo powder," she started to explain, side-stepping to reveal the fireplace. "It is one method of travel in Magical Britain. Throw it into the fireplace and simply step into flames while calling out your destination, and it will get you where you need to go. Do _not_ think of anything else except your destination, however, as you may end up somewhere else entirely if your thoughts deviate." Seeing Toby and Sarah nod to ensure they understood, Minerva jerked her head towards the fireplace. "Mr. Williams, if you would?" She asked, and he nervously stepped forward. "Please say 'Diagon Alley' and throw the powder."

Toby blinked, his face twisting in confusion.

"Diagonally?"

Sarah grinned and Minerva's lips _almost_ quirked up in a smile.

"Diagon. Alley."

Looking more than a little unsure, Toby cleared his throat and raised his arm hesitantly in the air.

"_Diagon Alley_!"

Sarah jolted a little when Toby's arm shot forward, the floo powder flying from his grasp as a large puff of green smoke obscured him from Sarah's view as he stepped into it. The smoke floated leisurely away, revealing an empty fireplace and no sign of her little brother. Sarah clutched her floo powder to her chest, and she looked nervously at the hearth as Minerva turned to her. Seeing the woman's stern gaze, Sarah gulped discreetly and stepped into the spot where Toby disappeared. She looked at the witch, who nodded reassuringly at her, and took a deep breath while closing her eyes tightly.

"_Diagon Alley_!"

...

...

...**  
**

Sarah stumbled out of the fireplace, coughing and sputtering as the floo ash went up her nose and clogged her windpipes. She reached out blindly, her hand finding something cold and rough to lean against while regaining her bearings. It was only after a whole half minute of coughing and choking that Sarah realized it was a stone wall and she was standing in the middle of an alley.

Looking around, Sarah's brows furrowed at the miniscule size of what she assumed to be Diagon Alley. There was a roaring sound behind her, which Sarah soon began to associate with "floo powder", and turned around to see Minerva stepping out of the public fireplace rather gracefully, dusting her shoulders off. (The young woman couldn't help feeling a little envious at the witch's entrance compared to her own).

Sarah looked forward, seeing a few people garbed in robes flashing by the entrance of the rather dark place. Turning around to see Minerva nod, the young woman headed forward, heart fluttering in relief when she saw Toby leaning against the wall beside the little alleyway she had walked out of. He was staring with and entranced gaze at the magical folk passing by him, their robes fluttering almost cinematically around them. A few of the wizards and witches who passed by shot a disgusted look at their clothes, and Sarah felt a twinge of confusion pull at her, but she ignored the stares for the moment and grabbed Toby's hand.

"What did I say about running off?" She warned a little teasingly. Toby shot her a grin.

"I didn't run off. Actually, I stayed pretty close by." His answer provoked a little laugh from Sarah, and she felt his hand wriggle out of hers. (Boys were never very good at showing affection.) Unwilling to let go of him, though, Sarah simply threw an arm around his shoulders and grinned as Minerva joined them in the street.

"Mr. Williams, Ms. Williams, welcome to Diagon Alley." She remarked, gesturing to the strangely diagonal magical marketplace. Sarah and Toby stood side-by-side as they were ushered down the street by the Transfiguration professor, unable to stop gaping at every store they passed.

"Quidditch?" Toby asked, spying a broom in the display window. Minerva smiled despite herself, wondering once again what it was with boys and their games.

"It's a wizarding sport played on brooms." She answered, and Sarah groaned a little at the "cool!" that escaped from Toby's mouth. Minerva promptly burst his bubble, though, by sternly commenting that first years were not allowed to own brooms _or_ play quidditch unless they showed extreme talent bordering on prodigal genius. Sarah wondered why the witch seemed to perk up in pride as she stated the exception, but that train of thought was promptly ignored in favour of awing at the pet shop displaying an assortment of normal – and not-so-normal – animals.

"Aw, look Toby!" Sarah gushed, leaning in to peer at a little feline lounging by the display window. "What a cute little…" she spied the nametag, furrowing her brows in confusion, "kneazle-cat?"

Minerva stepped forward to explain to Sarah that a kneazle was a magical animal, prompting Toby to groan in disgust when his older sister looked in longing and awe at the creature. Toby thought it just looked like another stupid cat, and turned away to peruse the quidditch store again. He was eyeing a tiny golden ball with even tinier fluttering wings, entranced by its speed as it flew uselessly against its restraints. There were tiny engravings on the golden shell, and Toby figured they were simply there to jack up the price. Speaking of the price… "How much are these things?"

"Certainly not an amount you will be able to pay with muggle money." Minerva replied with a brisk tone, her eyes narrowed dangerously at him as if to remind him _first years are not allowed to play quidditch_. Toby took a large step back from the display window, ending up beside Sarah, who looked puzzled.

"Magical Britain doesn't accept pounds?" She asked, and Minerva nodded.

"That is correct. Our wizarding currency consists of three types of coins. Galleons, sickles, and knuts; galleons being the highest valued coin and knuts being the lowest." The witch presented an example of each, allowing the two Williams siblings to toss them from hand to hand, studying the wizard currency.

"But… all I have are British pounds." Sarah admitted, biting her lip in worry as she held a galleon in her fingers. Minerva seemed to soften at the younger woman's uneasiness gesturing with her hand so they would follow her as she walked further down Diagon alley.

"The wizarding bank, Gringotts, will be able to exchange pounds for magical currency. I'm not sure of the exchange rate nowadays, as they are continually changing, however I'm sure you will still have enough money to buy all the school necessities." She explained, her stride long and quick as she ducked through the heavy crowds of the magical marketplace. The two siblings, Toby especially, struggled to keep up with her, so it was not unsurprising when Sarah stopped in her tracks and Toby slammed into her.

"Hey, what's the big idea?!" He exclaimed, looking to his sister first before looking to the building she was staring at. It was structured diagonally, unlike the smaller stores around it because of the sheer _size_. The building towered over its neighbours, a stark white against the rest of Diagon Alley. The doors were large, high, and emblazoned with golden letters. Sarah read over the words quickly, but pushed them aside quickly enough when Minerva ushered herself and Toby inside.

Toby was right at her heels when she stepped into Gringotts, his awed whisper paralyzing her.

"Goblins…"

...

...

...**  
**

Toby wasn't sure what to expect when he bypassed the large doors of the Gringotts Wizarding Bank. He wasn't sure if he was expecting anything at all, really. Maybe a bunch of people dressed in long robes behind counters, waving their wands to and fro to their customer's tunes. Maybe some type of wizarding ATM so self-service would move long lines forward faster. Maybe even one of those old weight measurers would pop up somewhere (for what reason, Toby wouldn't know).

But of the three expectations (or non-expectations) Toby had only one of them really ring true. Three guesses which one it was; the first two don't count.

"Is the Gingygotts cousins!"Sqeek crowed excitedly from Toby's legs, clapping his hands as his antennas flopped cutely. Sneek bashed him in the head with his long spear, his big red shoes making loud noises on the floor.

"Not _your_ cousins; mine!" He replied a little smugly. Skuell snorted, and that snort quickly turned into outrageous laughter as he keeled over. Sneek glared at him, waving his spear (not really) threateningly at the taller goblin, growling in his squeaky (yet pompous) voice. "You're just jealous _I_ belong to a powerful family!" Skuell simply laughed harder, unintentionally drawing the attention of the goblins working diligently at their stations. They looked up, and for a moment there was utter silence.

It was in this moment of stillness that Toby realized all the goblins (except his aforementioned protectors) were staring starstruck at him… and Sarah?

Simultaneously, whispers broke out amongst all the Gringotts goblins as they ignored their current customers, busy whispering furiously to their neighbour as Sarah shifted anxiously from foot to foot. Toby was more used to the reverence and awe in their voices because he had been subject to it so much from his four guardians. However, Sarah was highly uncomfortable with the whispering and staring, though Minerva became increasingly confused with every punctuated whisper.

"—the young master—"

"—highness won't be happy—"

"—brought _Lady_ with him—"

"Championess, not lady. Remember the rumours—"

Minerva turned back to look at the two Williams siblings, and Sarah met her eyes uncertainly, managing a sheepish grin and shrug. Toby just stood there in the centre of the bank, peering at all the goblins who seemed to drop their heads in respect when he tried to meet their eyes. He gave up soon enough, and turned to a goblin who walked into the room, growling loudly with his fangs bared.

"_Get back to work_!" He shouted, rather loudly. His glare was stern, sweeping across the room to pierce at each goblin. They all obeyed, shifting their heads back to their neglected customers (who were also thoroughly confused at the turn of events, shooting glances back at Toby and Sarah consistently). The supposed head goblin, dressed in an immaculate suit, started forward towards the trio standing dumbfounded in the centre of Gringotts.

Ignoring Minerva completely, the goblin stopped in front of Sarah and Toby and bowed deep at his waist.

"Young master Tobias and championess; you humble all the Gringotts goblins with your generous visit." He righted himself, gathering his hands behind his back. "I am Ragnok, the president of the Gringotts Wizarding Bank. On behalf of all the goblins of Gringotts, I am honoured and blessed to provide you with anything and everything you require." He smiled faintly at the awkward silence accompanying his greeting as Sarah and Toby looked to each other, trying to decide how to go about this strange introduction to the wizarding world.

"We just… want some money exchanged into wizarding currency so we can buy Toby's school supplies." Sarah said, fingering the strap of her purse on her shoulder. Ragnok nodded, turning to a pathway that lead away from the main room of the bank, gesturing with his arm.

"Of course, of course. Please follow me, and we will discuss it in my office." He said, waiting patiently for Sarah's unsure first steps to the hallway, her posture only becoming more subdued and awkward when passing goblins stopped to bow to her. Toby was close at her heels, not as surprised as his sister, and instead carefully observing each goblin that stopped to honour him. Ragnok trailed behind, stopping to turn to Minerva McGonagall as she attempted to follow. "I'm sorry, but this is a private meeting. I'm afraid I have to ask you to wait here."

Minerva blinked in shock, her mouth dropping open slightly as she stared down at the goblin. "But you're only exchanging muggle currency!" She exclaimed, and Ragnok shot her a stern, but controlled, glare.

"Please do not make me repeat myself, madam." Ragnok warned. Minerva snapped her mouth shut, a glare of her own forming on her face. She walked briskly to a bench pushed up against the wall beside the front doors, settling on it rather crossly. The president of Gringotts simply sent a fanged smirk in her direction before heading off to the hallway, where Sarah and Toby were waiting for him in the president's office.

...

...

...**  
**

Sarah settled into the leather armchair, her hands clutching her purse tightly as Toby flopped into the seat next to her. Ragnok arrived soon after they sat down, the door magically closing behind them as the goblin waved a hand towards it. He wandered over behind his desk, climbing up to stare at them with a slightly devious smile.

"May I say again, it is an honour to be in your presence, Champ—"

"Just Sarah." She cut in, shooting nervous (but discreet) glances at her younger brother. "Please just call me Sarah." Ragnok paused, looking a little conflicted.

"I'm very sorry, but I am not permitted to address any customer informally, least of all _you_." He stared pointedly at Sarah, and she flinched ever so slightly when Toby looked over strangely at her.

"Then just miss. Or madam." Sarah prompted, almost pleading with her eyes. But Ragnok simply smiled his devious smile, shaking his head in refusal.

"Once again, I am very sorry championess. Goblins like giving credit where credit is due." Sarah groaned quietly, and Ragnok decided the young woman had been strained enough, and turned to Toby with a little bow from behind the desk. "Young master Tobias." He greeted, and Toby looked a little nervous as well when his sister shot a suspicious look at him.

"So, how about that exchange thing we need to do?" Toby asked hurriedly, successfully getting Sarah off his back as she turned her attention to their original reason for entering Gringotts.

"Oh, right! I want to get the wizarding equivalent of a hundred dollars, so how much would the exchange tax be?" She asked, zipping open her purse and rummaging through it to grab her wallet. But Ragnok simply shook his head when she looked at him for an answer, reaching into a drawer in his desk to bring out a shining golden key.

"That is why I wished to speak privately with you." He said, sliding the key over the desk and closer to the Williams siblings. "This is the key to your vault."

Sarah and Toby looked at each other.

"Our vault?"

Ragnok nodded.

"Your vault. It contains somewhere along the lines of a million galleons, more than enough to purchase the young master's school supplies." Sarah took the key in her hand, feeling its rather heavy weight and the biting cold of the metal. She turned it over a few times, before handing it off to an impatient Toby.

"A million galleons…" Sarah breathed, remembering that galleons were the highest valued coin in Magical Britain. Ragnok just grinned deviously, reaching into the drawer again to pull out a large bag, dropping it on his desk. It landed with a loud thud, and the two humans could hear the jingling of coins on the inside.

"I took the liberty of withdrawing one hundred galleons from your vault for your shopping needs. I doubt you will need to spend even half of it, but it never hurts to be careful." Ragnok explained as Sarah heaved the large sack of gold off the desk. She hugged it to her chest, her brother mirroring her wide-eyed look as they both listened to the faint sound of the clinking coins.

"But why would you—" Toby started, only to yelp a little when his half-sister kicked him in the shin. His head whipped over to her, mouth open to tell her off until he saw the stern gaze on her face, and the slight shake of her head. Toby's mouth snapped shut, and his lips twisted uncertainly, but he complied with Sarah's silent demands and corrected himself. "I mean, thanks… that was really nice of you." Ragnok swelled with pride.

"No thanks are needed, young master, but it is greatly appreciated." The goblin bowed to Toby, who suddenly became very nervous at the calculating looks his sister was sending him.

"Right. Let's go." He said to Sarah, who seemed to jolt out of thought as she remembered precisely why they took this little trip to the bank. The coins in the large sack jangled, drawing Toby's attention back to it as he remembered just how much money was in that vault... _his _vault. (Well, technically Sarah's vault, but he was far too distracted by the numbers to bother with technicalities.)

"Yes. Thank you." She added, and Toby headed out the door in a slight daze, no doubt to rejoin Minerva to continue his school shopping. Sarah stayed behind, however, staring at Ragnok with an unreadable expression on her face. He held an expression of seriousness, his little hands folded neatly on his desk as if anticipating the question the Champion of the Labyrinth would soon ask.

"Why did you set up a vault for us?" She asked quietly, predictably, even though somewhere in her heart she knew the answer. Still, Ragnok obliged with her wishes, and replied with an answer that made that hidden place somewhere in her heart bloom like flowers parting their petals to the morning sun.

"His majesty cares about you more than he would like to believe, Lady Sarah."

...

...

...**  
**

Toby found it a little difficult to breathe as he walked into the musty-smelling wand shop, eyeing all the long, thin boxes stacked up precariously on top of each other. Minerva was swift in her entrance, breezing past him as she greeted the shop owner courteously. Sarah simply walked into the store in the same daze she had left Gringotts, seemingly about the large sack of gold she was cradling to her chest, Toby assumed. (He would never know how wrong he was.)

"Well, then, let's get started." Ollivander the wand-maker harrumphed, quickly ushering Toby up onto a little pedestal. He started examining the Williams child this way and that for reasons Toby couldn't fathom. Questions were thrown at him like gunshots, which the young child answered a little impatiently. Sarah and Minerva stood off to the side, the former still looking like she had popped a hallucinogen before her trip to the alley.

Toby started to pay attention once Ollivander started pulling wands off the shelves, muttering to himself and discarding some of the wands he had scrutinized carefully. For a moment, Toby was dumbstruck when a wand was shoved in his face by the old man, but mechanically took it and raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"Wave it." Ollivander instructed, and Toby did. A nice little swish, but there was only a small burping sound that came from the wand, causing Ollivander's eyebrows to furrow as he muttered under his breath some more. Toby was a bit surprised, casting his eyes around the store to make sure one of his goblins didn't make the sound, but they were nowhere to be seen.

Toby found himself pointlessly waving another three or four wands, Ollivander's confused expression intensifying with every wand that was pulled out of his grasp.

"Impossible…" He murmured, bustling around his store and knocking some of the other wands onto the floor in his haste. "First wand should've worked… and if not that, then at _least_ that last wand would've done it." He collapsed behind his desk, burying his face in his hands and muttering about his wand-matching skills going dusty because of old age. Minerva stood up in concern, walking over to him.

"Mr. Ollivander?" She started hesitantly, when his head suddenly popped up, and an almost disbelieving tone took hold of his eyes.

"Could it be?" He said to himself, muttering some more while Toby watched his ramblings with something akin to nervousness. "Impossible, though. I only made it a short time ago, and it seems so powerful. Though I don't know what person satinwood would be matched with…" Toby tensed when Ollivander scrutinized him once more, before muttering more under his breath and taking off to the back room. When he came back, he was holding a beautiful wooden wand case, polished to shine.

"Try this one." He said softly, almost reverently as he opened the lid to display a long, fourteen inch thin rod. It was everything Toby imagined a wand would look like; plain and undecorated. Not that there was any need for this wand to be embellished, for its glittering golden sheen was more than enough to dazzle anyone.

"Wow…" Toby whispered, before Ollivander took a single step back and Toby made a familiar swishing motion with his hand. Red sparks flew from the tip of the wand, exploding into fireworks that lit up the dark interior of the store. The magic was brilliant enough that it snapped Sarah out of her daze, only to fall back into another one as she awed at the sparkling lights of red and green and gold and silver.

"Well that settles it." Ollivander said out loud, a resigned sigh escaping his lips. "I've found your wand, Mr. Williams. Do take care of it; it is my pride and joy."

Toby looked up at the weary wandmaker, smiling brightly and nodding as he clutched his new wand to his chest. "Thank you Mr. Ollivander." He replied before Sarah stepped forward, inquiring about the price. It was a ridiculous number, and Minerva almost hexed him for even suggesting a price that high for a _wand_, but the wandmaker would have none of it.

"Those materials I used to make the wand were the greatest, most magnificent things I've ever seen in all my years as a wandmaker." He replied gruffly, a little miffed that an eleven-year old boy was going to take something that rare away from him. Sarah intervened, obligingly paying the obscene amount of money before ushering the two of them out the shop. (At this point, she just really wanted to be at home to organize her thoughts.)

"Ms. Williams!" Minerva exclaimed, scandalized as the younger woman began to lead her in an entirely random direction. "I was just in the middle of negotiating a price reduction; why did you—"

"Really, it's okay." Sarah said, looking a little harried as she ducked through the crowds, Toby close at her heels and still dumbly looking at the new wand in his hand. "Mr. Oliver didn't look like he was going to budge on the price of Toby's wand anyways, so I figured just paying for it would save us time." Minerva's face pinched in slight annoyance, going on to correct Sarah's mix-up of the wandmaker's name before starting on another tangent about paying reasonable prices for wands. Toby continued to ignore them, passing his wand between his two hands as he saw the light bounce off its natural golden sheen.

Peering closely at the reflective surface of the satinwood (or at least that's the name of the wood Toby heard Ollivander muttering under his breath), the eleven-year old boy blinked to clear his vision when he saw two men starting to fight with each other in the his wand, a few kids his age loitering around them. Looking up, Toby saw the image projected into reality as a man with platinum blonde hair grabbed the books of a vibrantly redheaded girl, throwing them back at her in what seemed like contempt.

"Really, Ms. Williams, I thought that a woman like you would have more sense." Minerva scolded, her arms folded into her long witch's sleeves as Sarah sighed heavily in exasperation. The heavy books landed on the ground, and Toby saw the young girl bend down to pick them up, her freckled face flushing the same shade as her hair. Strangely enough, there was a tiny black book that tumbled with the larger tomes, and Toby's eyebrows furrowed as he tried to remember why he hadn't seen it before with the pile.

"Toby, let's go!" Sarah exclaimed, tugging on her younger brother's arm as he snapped out of his slight observational daze. His head turned to face her sharply, blonde hair bouncing across his forehead. Her lips were pursed in a thin line, and she was steering him towards a shop with owls decorating the display windows. The scuffle in front of the book shop forgotten, he brightened when he realized he was getting an _owl_!

"I'm really allowed?" He questioned excitedly, bouncing on his heels as they arrived at the front of the shop that was titled "Eyelops Owl Emporium". Sarah looked confused for a moment, her eyebrows drawing into her nose as she stood in front of the shop and carefully looked at the merchandise. Minerva breezed past her, standing at the door and looking expectantly at them.

"Well? We are wasting daylight, Ms. Williams." She said, her tone showing that she was still quite miffed with the episode at Ollivander's. This time Sarah pursed her lips for an entirely different reason, grabbing Toby's shoulder and stepping back, trying to bring him with her.

"Ms. McGonagall, I'm afraid we're not allowed pets in the house." Sarah explained, eyeing the owls with something akin to suspicion and self-confusion. "Our dad's allergic to animals."

If Minerva was surprised, she didn't show it. But a slight annoyance took hold of her expression as she discussed with Sarah how to go about this. Owls were used very widely in the magical worlds; if Toby didn't have an owl, how was he supposed to communicate with other magical folk? Of course, there _was_ always the option of local owls. But Sarah wanted a way for him to keep in touch with dad and Irene, and not have to floo all the time to simply have communication with them.

"Allergies, you say?" The shop owner (presumed to be Eyelops) asked as he appeared from behind Sarah and Toby, scaring all three of them as they wondered why he wasn't inside his shop. But he ignored their questioning faces, waltzing into his store with a finger tapping at his chin, disappearing back behind his counter and digging around. "I'm sure I put it there… I could have _sworn_—oh! Yes, here we go!"

Sarah and Toby stepped further into the store, peering at the counter as Eyelops dumped a box onto it. Some of the objects inside clanked noisily, and he tore off the lid with a flourish, looking rather proud of himself as a set of four cellphones were displayed. Minerva seemed shocked, but Toby was grinning excitedly as his sister groaned a little beside him.

"Sweet! Can I have a cell phone, please Sarah?" He pleaded, spinning to look at his older sister. Sarah pursed her lips, clearly annoyed.

"You can just use mine whenever you want to call home or something." She suggested the ideas as she thought of it, not wanting to give the younger boy a cell phone. It was a huge responsibility, and Toby was just a child. Plus, he was somewhat careless with his material possessions…

"I'm afraid that muggle contraptions don't work in Magical Britain." Minerva cut in. "There is such a heavy concentration of magic that it renders muggle innovations obsolete." A little surprised, Sarah reached into her bag to bring out her cell phone, confused when it was mysteriously shut off and refused to turn on. Toby was bouncing about excitedly now, unable to stop his grinning.

"What, so those work on magic or something?" She asked, glaring at the older-looking models. Eyelops nodded enthusiastically, carefully taking one out to hand to Sarah to inspect.

"You don't even need to be a witch or wizard to get them to work. They are simply filled with magic, and you only need to refill it once it runs out." Sarah half-listened to the explanation, flipping the cell open and turning it on. It hummed with magic, but as Sarah discovered with her perusal of the phone, it worked just like the technology Sarah was used to growing up with. Toby snatched it from her hands, gleefully punching buttons and generally making a mishap of the phone.

"Are they compatible with cell phones that _don't_ work on magic?" Sarah asked, reaching out to snag another phone from the worn box. Eyelops nodded, a grin breaking across his face.

"I'm selling them in sets of two, so would you like one, or two pairs?" The tone in his voice suggested that he knew Sarah would buy them, and when she looked down at Toby cheekily dialling in a set of random numbers, Sarah knew she would be forced to buy them too.

"Can I get three? That's really all we need." She haggled, but Eyelops frowned, peering down at the final pair still sitting in the box.

"I really have no use for one of these contraptions." The owl trainer admitted, crossing his arms. "But I'll sell you all four for the price of three, if you'll agree to take them off my hands." He persuaded, and Sarah grinned, opening the sack of gold that jangled almost happily.

"Done."

The golden coins flashed as they slid across the counter, and Toby's mouth twisted in a pout when he accidentally set his phone language to Japanese. Sarah ignored his griping, turning her claimed phone on to begin inputting numbers and personalizing it to her liking. Minerva didn't let them fiddle with their "muggle contraptions" for long, though, tugging them through Diagon Alley once more to finish shopping for school supplies. They were dragged to Flourish and Blotts for the first year set of books, and then to the cauldron shop and the potions store for a first year kit. The both of them were supplied with a basic set of quills and ink, before they stopped at Flortescue's for a spot of ice cream.

"Please tell me we're done." Sarah moaned as she jabbed her spoon viciously into her ice cream. The soles of her feet were _aching_, and she didn't think she could stand anymore shopping. Toby groaned in agreement from beside her, his mouth brimming with ice cream as he stared a little longingly at his school supplies. Minerva bristled from across the table, choosing to forego eating ice cream as it seemed "unprofessional".

"There is one more stop we must make before you are, as they say, home-free." She said, anticipating Sarah's short pause for strength, and Toby's head whipping to look up at her, wondering what else he would have to do. "Madame Malkin's is close by; we shall head there once you finish your ice cream." Toby and Sarah looked at each other, and then at the professor.

"Madame Malkin's?"

...

...

...**  
**

"Oh my god."

"Oh my _god_!"

Minerva suppressed a smile when Sarah leapt forward into Madam Malkin's Robes For All Occasions, thumbing through the various racks of clothing. There was a strangely childish expression on her face as she sifted through some of the voluminous white robes at one side of the store. Toby simply stood at the entrance, looking strangely doomed as Madame Malkin's bustled from behind the counter, making her way towards them with a smile on her face.

"Hello, hello!" She greeted chirpily. "Can I help you?" Sarah zoomed over, her cheeks flushed in excitement as she answered the question.

"Ah, yes. My little brother needs his uniform for Hogwarts." She replied, and Madame Malkin's turned to her, eyeing her clothes as she came to the conclusion that this was a muggle family.

"Of course, of course." She said, nodding as Toby once again found himself ushered onto a pedestal. "Will that be all? Would you prefer some casual or formal robes as well?" She asked, discussing shortly with Sarah about what kind of robes to buy for Toby, whizzing out examples with her wand as they talked animatedly about fabric and decorations. Toby shifted nervously in his spot, clearly not understanding a lick of what they were saying.

"If I may," Minerva interrupted from behind the two chattering women, "I do believe that Ms. Williams here will need a set of robes as well." She gave the muggle a pointed look, and Sarah flushed, laughing a bit.

"Oh, right." She said, running a hand through her auburn locks. "I'm working in a magical school, so obviously I need magical clothes." Sarah grinned to herself, not noticing Madame Malkin's surprised glance. The witch turned to her fellow witch, but Minerva simply shook her head, and the dressmaker dropped it, turning back to Sarah.

"Well, I saw you eyeing those formal robes, so you can start there and choose what you like. I'll get started on the youngster here." With an encouraging nod and a grin, Sarah bounded off to peruse the racked clothing, while Madame Malkin bustled over to the eleven-year old shuffling on the spot. Minerva hung around in the back of the store, critically eyeing some of the hats displayed on their shelves.

They had just finished shopping, bags weighing down Sarah and Toby's arms as they thanked Madame Malkin for all her kindness and patience. (Muggles were rather clueless when it came to robes, as she could easily tell.) The three of them had begun to leave the store, Sarah leading them back out to the alley, her head turned as she spotted another rather nice-looking pair of robes when she bumped into someone in her distraction.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" The championess exclaimed, taking a step back. Her bags had, thankfully, stayed in her hands, but the witch she had bumped into gave her a once-over, before sneering rudely and turning her nose up at Sarah. Her fine hands dusted at her robes, as if trying to sweep away the spots Sarah had touched.

"It's not like I expected a _mudblood_ to know where they were going." She snapped, flipping her platinum blonde hair back behind her shoulder. Her eyes peered over Sarah's shoulder, past Toby and Minerva to Madame Malkin's staring defiantly back at her. "And I didn't expect this shop to cater to _mudblood's_ either. I knew I should have gone to Twilfitt and Tattings." Without another word, the snobbish woman turned her back on Sarah, sauntering away to where Sarah assumed Twilfitt and Tattings was.

"Mudblood? What's a mudblood, professor?" Toby asked, looking up at his (soon-to-be) transfiguration teacher. Sarah's face scrunched in distaste, and she glared at the corner where the woman had disappeared.

"I'm guessing it's not a compliment." She muttered under her breath. Minerva looked a little stricken, her hands clenched tightly together.

"It is… a _derogatory_ _term_ for a muggle or muggleborn wizard. I had hoped you would not be exposed to this rather prejudiced part of the wizarding world, but it appears to be rather inevitable." The witch admitted, and Sarah was reminded of her first few steps into Diagon Alley, when a few of the magical folk passed by her with their faces twisted in disgust. She paused in thought, leaning against the interior of the store as Toby looked worriedly up at her.

"So… how would they feel about a muggle working in Magical Britain?" The question was asked very softly; softly enough that Toby almost didn't hear it. Minerva's lips pinched in a grimace, but she turned resolutely to the door of Madame Malkin's robes shop and pushed out into the crowd.

"Come along." She said curtly, looking back at them. "I do believe all your shopping is done. It is time for you to go home." The two Williams looked at each other, and then at the back of the witch's hat as she steered them back to a mini alley, where a fireplace awaited them. They each took turns throwing the floo powder into the fireplace, stepping in and shouting their destination. Toby went through first, and Sarah followed him. When she stepped into the fireplace and ended up on the dirty carpet of her living room, there was a dark sense of fear that clung to her as her robes tumbled to the floor. And that fear only intensified when she saw Toby gripping his wand with a joyful smile, the reflective surface glowing with _his_ magic.

* * *

_A/N _Aaand there we go! Toby's trip to Diagon Alley and the subsequent purchase of his wand, plus some "Oh Great One" worshipping from the Gingygotts goblins and slap-in-the-face mudblood calling. Fun stuff!

The next chapter will be the trip to Hogwarts and the meeting of Toby's first friend, his experience with the Sorting Hat, and the first couple of weeks at school where he comes to the conclusion that he despises Gilderoy Lockhart. (Yay!)

Now just for fun, let's see if you guys are better at Divination than Professor Trelawney, yes? Of the two questions I'm asking, one of them is pretty much a blind-in-the-dark guess, while the other is hinted in this chapter (can you find out where?). "And what do _I_ get out of this", you ask? Well, nothing... if you can only answer one of the questions correctly. If you can answer _both_ correctly, you still don't get much...

Just a sneak peek at the next chapter. :)

Question 1: Who will be Toby's first friend?

Question 2: What two houses will the Sorting Hat be considering to put Toby in?

So! Happy guessing (for those of you still with me; I am feeling severely neglected right now) and good luck! Remember to review! (That is, after all, the only way you're going to be able to try your hand at my little game.)

Until next time, my nonexistent fans!

Snowflake Flower


	4. Where It All Starts

**Of Hogwarts and Inheritances**

**Chapter 3: Where It All Starts**

The sun was shining, the birds were singing, and the sky was bluer than it had ever been… Or rather, it _would_ have been bluer than it had ever been if a plume of black smoke hadn't risen up, obscuring the bright and wonderful colour with its polluted nastiness.

"Augh!" Sarah yelled, wrenching her car door open as she stumbled out, slamming the door shut and glaring mutinously at her car. "You stupid piece of trash!" She exclaimed at it, kicking the underside of the car with her foot. A curse expelled from her lips when pain ignited sharply through her boot, and she clutched the sore appendage while hopping on her other foot.

"Sarah?" Toby called out, emerging from the house with his trunk filled with his school supplies. The elder Williams turned to him, limping on one foot as her gaze lingered on the magical items stowed away in the magical trunk. "You okay?" He asked when she didn't respond right away, jolting her out of her thoughts.

"The car won't start again." She griped, limping around and slamming her fist on the front of the car. It sputtered, but didn't start, and Sarah tried again, this time with both hands. Toby dragged his trunk down the steps with both hands and made his way to the side of the car, setting it down. His goblins were right next to him, helping him lift the heavy trunk, and Toby turned to Sneek. They both nodded at each other.

"Try being gentle?" Toby wondered out loud as Sneek made his way to the rear of the car, muttering obscenities about his spear being a weapon and not a cleaner of clogged pipes. Sarah retorted back by saying she didn't need to be gentle; she just needed a new car. It was at that moment that Sneek stuck his long spear into the muffler of the car, knocking around until it sputtered and started up.

Toby grinned at Sarah's growl.

"Okay, fine. I'll try being gentle next time." She mumbled, grabbing Toby's trunk and throwing it into the back of the car, slamming the cover shut. Toby simply wandered over to the back seat, letting his goblin protectors' filter in first before he climbed in next to them. They always had the same conversation whenever Sarah's old car wouldn't start up, and she had never tried being gentle no matter how many times he 'persuaded' her to.

"You're gonna see me off, right Sarah?" Toby asked as they pulled out of the driveway, snapping his seatbelt shut. Sarah's lips tightened from the driver's seat, and she glanced at him through her rear-view mirror.

"I'm sorry, Toby, but the Headmaster wants me to oversee the feast being cooked today. I'm already late because this stupid car wouldn't start up, so I can really only drop you off." Sarah spied the disappointed expression that flashed across his face, and her heart squeezed, hating the feeling of letting her brother down. He was quick to plaster on an apathetic aura, shrugging nonchalantly and turning his head to look out of the window.

"S'ok." He answered. "I get it. And it's not like you won't ever get to see me off again, right?" The question was rhetorical, but Sarah knew how much it hurt Toby for her to be away on his official first day of boarding school. Despite the devil-may-care attitude he was portraying (like a certain King of the Labyrinth), the young woman knew that her little brother was terrified of this new environment he was being shoved into. He was absolutely clueless about the magical world, and there were probably lots of kids in the school that grew up with magic, putting him at an extreme disadvantage.

Sighing inwardly, Sarah turned into the station and parked by the side of the road, twisting her body to look at her little brother. "You gonna be okay from here, Tobes?" She asked softly, using her special pet name for him. Toby scowled half-heartedly at her in response to his alternative name, gruffly unclipping his seat belt and wrenching the car door open, much like his sister had done before him.

"I'll be fine." He shouted as he exited the car, Sarah following after. "I can read one of my textbooks and get ahead or something." He popped the lid of the back of the car, grabbing his trunk. Sarah helped him, finding a cart and loading his things onto it for easier transport. It was a smaller cart, useful for younger children who wanted to feel important and responsible. Sarah handed Toby his ticket for Platform nine and three quarters, stopping him just as he was about to take off.

"I'm sorry." Sarah said again, and Toby shrugged.

"Its fine; whatever." He answered, pointedly ignoring locking eyes with his older sister. Sqeek, Sneek, Skuell and Maelicious surrounded him, shuffling nervously when Sarah knelt to be eye-level with her young half-brother, smiling softly.

"It's okay to be scared." She told him quietly, and his head snapped up at her, blue eyes narrowing.

"I'm not scared." He scoffed, crossing his arms. Sarah just laughed, ruffling his silvery blonde locks before pulling him into a fierce hug. "Sarah!" He cried, astonished and embarrassed. She ignored him, savouring the feel of her brother safe in her arms.

"I know you're going to make a lot of new friends." She whispered into his ear, and he shrugged as best he could while surrounded by his sister.

"Of course I am. It's me; I'll have tons." He mumbled into her shoulder, starting to give in to the bout of affection. Sarah grinned as she smoothed a hand through his messy hair, resting her chin on the top of his head as she suddenly had a slight sense of déjà vu.

"And I guess… with so many friends, you won't need me anymore, right?" She asked softly, pausing for his answer. Toby was quiet before he backed away and looked up at his older sister, his expression entirely serious. So serious, Sarah wondered for a moment if he was really a child.

"I'll always need you." He admitted almost silently, a little frown at his lips. "It doesn't matter how old I get; I'll need you forever."

Sarah's throat went dry, and her eyes started to glitter ever-so-slightly as she smiled. Toby turned around in embarrassment, snagging the handle of his luggage cart and running into the train station, his steps quick as if to escape the disgustingly mushy moment with his sister.

"Forever," Sarah whispered, her words a breeze in the silent air, "that's not long at all."

...

...

...**  
**

Toby hurried through the crowds in the train station, weaving expertly through the people as he made his way along the platforms. His goblins were not as swift as he was, however, often finding themselves kicked a few feet back because they ran into some walking humans. Toby didn't worry too much about it, as they always appeared right next to him a few seconds later, out of breath and without a scratch on them. (Goblins were notorious for being almost indestructive.)

Peering around a burly man that had gotten in his way, Toby spied platform nine and platform ten, unsurely pushing his cart towards it as he wondered why there wasn't a platform nine and three quarters. His goblins had caught up to him, leaning against his cart as they gasped for breath, Sqeek flopping to the floor as he struggled to breathe properly.

"I don't get it…" Toby muttered, crossing his arms as he glared up at the nine and ten signs of the platforms. "It's supposed to be right here!" The young boy scratched his head, looking around and trying to see if there were some other witches or wizards who would help him. But everyone was dressed in normal clothes, and there was no hint of magic anywhere in the train station. Growling, Toby turned around, preparing to stalk angrily away from platforms nine and ten, when he came face to face (almost literally) with a pair of wide blue eyes and pale blonde hair.

He blinked, yelping a little as he jolted back. The girl he almost bumped into, who was a little shorter than him, didn't react to his reaction. It almost made Toby start questioning science on the spot, because for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction… right?

"Um… hello?" Toby greeted, reaching up to rub the back of his head. She didn't reply, and simply continued to stare up at him through her long blonde lashes, unblinking. Unnerved, Toby wondered if she was looking at someone else other than him, and glanced around to see if there was anyone paying any attention to them. But there wasn't, and when Toby looked back at the girl's face, she was still staring (rather strangely and rather silently) at him.

"C-can I… can I help you with something?" He asked, trying to goad a response out of her. The wide-eyed girl reacted now, remaining silent but tipping her head to the side as she studied him. At least, that's what it seemed like she was doing. Her eyes never left his face, and Toby wondered if there was a piece of food on it. He reached up, a little unsure that was the reason.

Behind him, Toby's goblin protectors tittered nervously, creeping up to hug Toby's legs as they, too, stared up at the unusual girl. For a slight moment, her eyes flickered to the floor, but it didn't seem like a reaction in shyness or uncertainty. She had locked onto something at Toby's feet, before looking up again with a strange sense of understanding in her stance. She was silent for another moment or two, before her lips parted and Toby's senses dulled at the sound of her dreamy voice.

"Are you going to go through?" She asked, and it took a second for the question to filter through Toby's brain and register it as a question. He burned in embarrassment when he realized he was staring gobsmacked at her, but she simply continued to look at him through her dazed blue eyes, swaying back and forth to some unknown breeze blowing through the station.

"I… uh… what?" Toby asked, confused at her question. He looked around, wondering if there was a door close by or something. But all that was behind him was the stupid brick wall between platform nine and ten.

"To platform nine and three quarters. Are you going to go through?" She asked again, and Toby's head whipped around the station, wondering where the platform was. His blue eyes locked back onto the girl, a little jolt in his chest telling him that this girl was not all she seemed to be. Her gaze was almost divine in being, as if nothing in this world could harm her, and that nothing in this world would surpass her either.

And Toby realized with another rapid blink of his eyes that this girl was a witch.

...

...

...**  
**

Luna peered up curiously at the boy blocking the gate to the Hogwarts train, still waiting patiently for his reply as a stray lock of blonde hair fell across her forehead. From her peripheral vision, she could still see the small creatures huddled around the young boy's feet, whispering conspiratorially to each other. She was pretty sure they weren't nargles, because there wasn't mistletoe anywhere, but she was a little concerned that she had never seen them before this day.

Quietly contemplating this new development of magical creatures needing to be studied, Luna did not move when she felt her father's presence walking up behind her, and continued to stare at the young boy who was looking lost in thought. He was soon jolted out of them though, as her father spoke up from behind her.

"Luna! Why aren't you going through? If you don't hurry all the compartments will be taken, love." He goaded, coming to stand beside her. She transferred her gaze from the boy up to her father, eyes still unblinking as she answered almost bluntly.

"He's blocking the gate." Her tone was nonchalant, as if she was merely stating that the sky was blue and the grass was green (although Luna really knew that the sky was purple and the grass was orange). Xenophilius Lovegood turned to stare at the boy, who, from the motion of his adam's apple, had gulped in what seemed like fear. Or nervousness?

"I… I really don't know what's going on." He admitted, flushing in embarrassment. "My ticket says I need to get to platform nine and three quarters, but there's only platform nine and ten here." Luna tilted her head at him, blinking for the first time as she realized this young boy was muggleborn, and obviously unused to using his sight to see what was right in front of him. (Like many of her fellow witches and wizards.)

"Of course platform nine and three quarters exists." Luna interceded, smiling slightly. "Just look behind you."

He did, and then turned back to look at the both of them with a puzzled expression. "But—" he started, only for Luna to shake her head, her wide blue eyes urging him to look beyond what he saw. He heeded her goading, turning back to the brick wall and staring uncertainly at it. One of his hands came up, inching steadily to the brick wall before the tips of his fingers touched the surface, slipping easily through the bricks.

With a yell, he reared back, falling on his back from the shock. Luna sidestepped as he came crashing down on the spot she vacated, still staring unblinkingly and dazedly at him. She gave him a few moments to recover, before inquiring again with her dreamy voice.

"So are you going to go through?"

...

...

...**  
**

Toby took a shuddering breath as he scramble back up onto his feet, ignoring the dust on his pants and gazing somewhat disbelievingly at the gateway to platform nine and three quarters. He never imagined it would have to be taken so literally, but Toby supposed he should have seen it coming, seeing as he had to step through a fireplace to get to Diagon Alley.

Striding forward to grasp at the cold handlebar of his cart with his sweaty hands, he positioned it right in front of the wall, self-consciously looking around. Toby wondered how much commotion it would cause if he slammed into the wall, or why they seemed rather oblivious to the little kid getting ready to crash _into_ the bricks.

"Well? We don't have all day." The older man spoke, and Toby jumped a little in fright.

"Don't worry." The strange, dazed girl said to him, still swaying on her feet. "There isn't any mistletoe here, so the nargles won't bite." Toby looked at her, the terrified glaze in his eyes not leaving as he wondered what nargles were.

Gulping, Toby squared his shoulders and faced forward, gripping the handlebar tighter before pushing his cart towards the wall… rather slowly. Sqeek, Sneek, and Skuell groaned in disappointment, hoping their charge would be spooked enough to take a running start at the wall. Toby couldn't hear them, though, shrinking into himself as the front of his cart began to disappear behind the supposedly opaque wall. Cringing, Toby's eye squeezed shut as more of the cart was swallowed into the wall. His body eventually followed, and there was a strange tingle that crept through him, similar to the tingle that he felt when he used his magic. But this magic seemed rougher; weaker.

Shaking off his wandering thoughts, Toby's eyes peeked open and his mouth dropped when he saw the hustle and bustle of platform nine and three quarters. Owls were hooting every which way, cages clanging noisily against each other. There were kids shouting, hugging parents and pretending to gag as they were given goodbye kisses. Behind him, the strange blonde-haired girl was smiling slightly up at her father, promising to "mind the nargles" as he handed her a trunk decorated with animated swaying flowers and glowing fireflies.

"Do you have your butterbeer necklace?" The father asked, and she nodded in reply, eyes still unblinking as her gaze wandered around the crowded platform. She locked eyes with Toby, tilting her head curiously again. Toby flushed a little, turning away quickly and spying an entrance into the train. He was about to head off for it, but paused and turned back around to glance at the strange girl. Her father was nowhere to be seen, and she looked dreamily around at all the other children converging with their childhood friends. Toby noticed that many of the children would give her looks, sniggering to each other and discreetly pointing at her and laughing.

Feeling indignation welling up inside of him, Toby squared his shoulders and strolled confidently to the wide-eyed witch. She stared at him as he grew closer, tucking her slightly wavy hair behind her ear and revealing radishes that hung from her lobes. Around her, the snickering grew louder and Toby's face hardened in determination. When he came close enough, he gave her a pointed look and asked, "So are you coming or not?"

She paused at his question, before a larger smile spread over her face. Toby took that as a yes, and hauled his trunk towards the entrance of the train. The witch followed after him, her trunk strangely not making any noise as she dragged it along the ground. They entered the train, finding and grabbing an empty compartment. Toby hauled his luggage over the seats (with the help of his goblins), and offered to do the same for the witch. She looked at him blankly, an expression that always seemed to be on her face, and nodded, whispering her gratitude.

"No problem." Toby said absentmindedly as he grunted, shoving the rest of her flowery trunk over the top of her seat. "Sarah says I should always offer to help girls, even if I don't want to." He plopped on the opposite side of the compartment, sighing in relief when everything was done. The strange, dazed girl was already sitting down (rather primly), staring unabashedly at him like she did in front of the platform. Toby was already starting to get used to the scrutinizing, feeling the girls blue eyes trained on him intensely.

"Is Sarah one of your goblin friends?"

Toby jolted up, his eyes wide and his mouth open as he, in turn, stared at her. The goblins squeaked loudly, scrambling to hide behind Toby's legs or his torso, peeking out suspiciously at the girl across the seat. She remained calm, even as Sneek hesitantly held out his spear, threatening to know how she could see them. In fact, the girl started to ramble offhandedly to herself, not giving Toby a chance to answer or recover from his shock.

"Although goblins have never really liked humans, so I don't suppose they would care to terribly about making human friends. Then again, your goblin friends don't really look much like the goblins I know of, which means they are probably a relative of some sort from another part of the world." Toby eyed her with trepidation when she stopped rambling, tilting her head curiously at him. "Does America have a Gringotts?"

"H-how… how did you know I was from the U.S?" Toby asked, his eyes blinking rapidly.

"Your accent is very strange." She commented, radish ears swinging from her lobes. "Very American. And yet you seem to have grown up here in England. Peculiar." She seemed to pause in thought again, before thrusting her hand out with lightning fast speed. "I'm Luna Lovegood." Toby blinked, reaching out to grab her hand.

"Toby Williams." He said dumbly, trying to wrap his head around the fact that she had somehow known he lived in the U.K most of his life while maintaining his American accent. "I, um… I moved here when I was four." The last part was added on as an afterthought, maybe to answer unspoken questions that ran around in Luna's eyes. But then he remembered how the whole conversation started in the first place, and blurted out, "You can see them?!"

She simply nodded.

"B-but… not even Sarah can see them!" Toby sputtered, his eyes passing from Sqeek to Maelicious as they gathered on the other end of his seat. Luna followed his gaze, her eyes studying the four of them, still sitting primly in the middle of her seat.

"Sarah can't see goblins even though she is a goblin?" Luna asked, eyes blinking for probably the second time as she contemplated the new development. But Toby shook his head, ruffling his hair as his head tried to wrap around the idea of someone else being able to see his protectors.

"Sarah's my older sister." He said hurriedly, and Luna nodded in satisfaction. "But… but you can _see_ them?" The witch looked back at the little goblins staring at her curiously just as she was.

"They look rather blurry to me." Luna admitted, though she didn't squint to see if she could see them more clearly. "But yes, I can see them."

Toby looked to his goblin companions, a thudding of fear growing in his chest. "Can… can other people see them too?" He asked, and breathed a sigh of relief when Luna shook her head a little sadly.

"It's a pity." She murmured, her hand twitching as if she wanted to reach out and touch one of them. "Such magnificent creatures, forever to live in the shadows." Toby chose not to reply to that, actually feeling the opposite of Luna's melancholy emotions.

Skuell spoke up then, grinning wickedly as he brandished his curved sword. "Can we kill 'er?" He asked, rubbing his hands together in preparation. "She knows 'bout us, so cans w'kill 'er?" Sneek, his partner-in-crime despite their differences, cackled heartily at the thought of wreaking havoc on an Aboveground life. Toby glared at them, relieved to find Luna looking only mildly curious at the apparent bloodthirsty appetite of his companions.

"No way." Toby emphasized, glaring dangerously at Skuell and Sneek. "I already told you before; no killing." The two bandit goblins deflated at that, muttering about how there were no stupid laws against killing down in the Underground. Toby ignored them, and Sqeek crawled forward to sit beside Luna, staring up at her with happy smiles.

"Hello missy-with-the-sight!" He greeted, giving a cute little bow at the waist when she turned her wide eyes to him. "I's is Semaphorus Quickius Easius Elasticus Komfortabilis! I'ms is one of young master's goblin protecytors!" His chest puffed out as he introduced himself, obviously filled with incredibly pride at the weight of the job given to him by his king. Luna blinked again, and responded to him in a little bow.

"It's very nice to meet you, Semaphorus—"

"You can just call him Sqeek." Toby cut in, grimacing at the thought of always having to recite the goblins ridiculously long name. "That's what I call him." But Sqeek's mouth dropped open, and he shook his head rapidly at Luna, large eyes almost pleading before he turned to Toby

"Please no, young master!" He exclaimed, eyes narrowing as a pout coloured his face. But Luna simply shrugged, smiling down at Sqeek.

"Semaphorus Quickius Easius Elasticus Komfortabilis sounds like a wonderful name." She said dazedly. "It would be a shame to shorten it." Sqeek crowed in excitement, and Luna began to hum softly as Toby stared gobsmacked at her once more. Sneek and Skuell snickered at the strange girl, and Sneek jabbed his spear in the air.

"I am Sneek! The smartest and fiercest of all young master Tobias' protectors!" He boasted, his helmet rattling with his cockiness. Skuell snorted unkindly, pushing the shorter goblin on his helmet to roll back and forth, sheathing his sword and smiling with his fangs bared scarily at Luna.

"M'names Skuell, and _I'm_ the fiercest o'all the protectors." He corrected, to which Sneek popped back onto his feet and cried deceit, and the two goblins started to duel right in the compartment. Luna and Toby ignored them (Toby having many years to practice) and beckoned the last goblin protector forward.

"This is Maelicious." The young boy introduced, grinning a little. Maelicious's armour clanked as he stepped forward, giving a little bow to Luna as she reciprocated the gesture. "He's like my bottomless trash can. I use him whenever I need to hide or get rid of something." The tallest goblin didn't respond much to his master's praise, remaining quite motionless and silent. Luna patted him on the head, her eyes dazedly curious. Toby watched the both of them, grinning a bit when she stepped on his toe, revealing his rather nifty ability.

Suddenly, Luna perked up, standing and grabbing at her trunk. "It's time." She said wistfully, grabbing her school robes and swirling them around her petite form. Toby blinked at her, and then quickly checked the time on his magical cell phone. They were about an hour from the school, so Toby followed Luna and quickly donned his robes.

They both sat down again, and a somewhat awkward (at least, awkward to Toby) silence fell over them. The young boy found himself grasping for conversation topics, gleaning things from his somewhat limited knowledge of the school. (They were all mostly things Professor McGonagall had explained to him in her sparse visits to him or Sarah.)

"So… um… what house do you think you'll be sorted into?" He asked, twiddling with the hem on his robes. Luna's dreamy stare didn't so much as flicker, and Toby was starting to realize that was what she looked like when she was thinking (so essentially, she never _stopped_ thinking). "I was thinking Gryffindor might be cool to be in. But Hufflepuff seems more likely for me, 'cause my sister's so uptight about fairness and she's loyaler than a dog." He seemed to deflate a little at that, and Luna cocked her head at him.

"Loyaler isn't a word, though I suppose it should be a word because it's much easier than saying 'more loyal'." Luna contemplated, her dreamy expression turning dazed. This was the indication that she was more confused than thoughtful, trying to work out a puzzle in her head that made no sense. Toby just grinned a little at her strange reasoning and how she completely disregarded his actual question.

"Luna? Houses?" He prompted, and she snapped to attention. (Well, actually her dazed expression returned to a dreamy one.) She spent a few more moments thinking about it, before cocking her head and shrugging.

"It doesn't matter much to me." She admitted, her eyes softening in sadness. To others, it would be unnoticeable, but Toby could pick out the slight nuances in Luna's facial expressions that expressed her feelings.

"Why not?" He asked, and she shrugged again.

"No matter which house I'm in, no one will want to be friends with me." Her head turned to look out the window now, the setting sun gleaming against her pale blonde hair. Toby blinked in surprise and he scratched his head as he looked anxiously at her.

"But… but aren't we friends?' He asked uncertainly, and Luna's head snapped at him (this time, literally). Her eyes were impossibly wider, but this time with a sort of clarity in them, and copious amounts of surprise and… hope?

"Truly? You… you really want to be friends?' Her voice was breathless now, instead of their normal dreamy and wistful. Toby flushed red, rubbing his neck and nodding as the red stood starkly against his somewhat pale skin. A stunning smile blossomed across her face, and she nodded her head, her radish earrings dangling happily. "I would… I would very much like to be your friend… Toby."

Toby smiled now, feeling a little lighter as he made his first friend in the magical world. Granted, she seemed a bit… _not there_, but Toby really wouldn't have picked anyone better. She may not be as normal as some of his elementary friends, but the young boy thought he rather preferred a whimsical and out-of-sorts friend. It made life much more interesting.

Just then, the door of the compartment opened, and a boy with bright red hair peeked in, wearing a badge pinned to his robes.

"First years?" He asked after Toby jumped in fright. Luna nodded, staring somewhere behind the older boy. Toby noticed how he stared a little disdainfully at her, and his eyes narrowed. Beneath him, the goblins started to cackle as they discussed the first prank to be played would be on the "pompous redhead who _dares_ be rude to" "the missy-with-the-sight!"

But Luna paid no mind to the staring, and Toby reluctantly followed the boy as they were lead out of the compartment to the entrance of the train, where they would be taken outside and congregate around a lake. There was an incredibly large man there, yelling at the top of his lungs, "Firs' years! Firs' years over here!" Toby scrambled over to the voice, feeling undaunted at the rude stares and snickering sent over their way as he grabbed her hand, leading them both to a boat to share.

When the little boat set off and they came up to the magnificent view of Hogwarts, the both of them were temporarily stunned at the majestic sight of a brilliant castle lighting up the night sky. Toby looked at Luna, who had also met his gaze, and the two of them smiled at each other as the little boats docked. For a moment, the muggleborn couldn't believe that this was really happening to him. That he was virtually in a whole new world, with new places to explore and things to learn; not only about magic, but about himself as well.

From the docked boats, they were led to the Entrance Hall and a pair of tall double doors that stretched up so high Toby craned his neck to see the top of it. Professor McGonagall was there, briskly ordering them to file into alphabetical order in front of her, barking out names as she did so. Toby was a little disheartened when Luna swept away to join the line, but was intrigued when he filed in as the last student, behind a familiar redheaded girl he saw at Diagon Alley.

"Alright, come along then." McGonagall announced, spinning to walk through the doors as they magically opened, displaying the incredible view of the Great Hall, and the even more dazzling view of its ceiling. Toby lagged behind a little, tripping over his long robes as he walked through the centre of the room. There were two sets of long tables situated on either side of him.

One table, decorated in silver and green, sneered at the line of first years or snickered at them and their obvious anxiety. Another table, one donned in blue and bronze colours, just stared apathetically at the line of young children, almost eyeing them in scrutiny. Across the hall, the table dressed in black and yellow were smiling supportively at them. The table next to it, in colours of red and gold, were raucously waving hello, grinning as they called out greetings. Two students at the table seemed particularly rambunctious, targeting the little girl in front of Toby. They were also redheaded, and Toby wondered for a moment if they were all in the same family.

Looking up at the Head Table, Toby spotted Sarah sitting nervously on the very end of it, the tall, bearded man from the lake coming to sit next to her. She perked up when they locked gazes, and Toby waved a little, sending a reassuring smile at her. The reassurance didn't seem to work very well, but nevertheless Sarah tried to stop tugging at a lock of her brown hair in nervousness. She was wearing a set of dark red witch's robes, and blended in rather well with the other adults at the staff table. But Toby could tell from some of the disdained snarls sent her way that she had been undoubtedly exposed as non-magical. Beneath him, the goblins tittered angrily.

The line stopped, and Toby ploughed into the unsuspecting girl in front of him at the sudden halt. She shrieked, whirling around, her face flushed red as she narrowed her brown eyes at him. Gulping a little, Toby murmured a short apology, and the incident was avoided from blowing out of proportion. Up at the Head Table, Sarah chewed on her bottom lip nervously.

McGonagall cleared her throat, her robes swishing as she fetched a stool with a ratty old hat sitting on top of it. The hat and the stool were set in the centre of the stage, and the Transfiguration professor stepped back to give it space. For what reason, Toby had no idea, but his answer was moments away as a large rip in the hat began to move, and a voice filtered out through this seemingly empty hat.

_Hear ye, hear ye!_

_Listen rapt, and listen well_

_For I am the Hogwarts Sorting Hat_

_As most of you can tell_

_I may not look particularly nice_

_The lot of you have guessed_

_So put me on, right on your head_

_Let me show you I'm the best!_

_Maybe sweet Hufflepuff's the place to be_

_For you who are loyal and fair_

_Or might brave Gryffindor take you on_

_With your courage and your dare_

_Perhaps your sharp and clever wit_

_Would be at home in Ravenclaw_

_Unless Slytherin is the better fit_

_Your trickery overcoming all_

_So drop me on your head_

_And let's see where you will go_

_But I cannot guarantee, little ones_

_That's where you do belong._

Though the song was initially very bright and cheerful, the voice coming from the old hat turned sombre as the last few lines were sung. And almost immediately after the animated headgear stilled, there was a hushed murmuring through the four tables. Some people looked a little unsure, as if maybe they had been placed in the wrong house and the sorting hat made a mistake. Toby wondered why it mattered, and for a moment wondered why they even needed to be separated into groups anyways. (They had never done this in his elementary school.)

But he jolted out of his thoughts when Professor McGonagall began to unroll a piece of parchment in her hand. "Creevey, Colin!" She shouted out in her brisk tone, and the first boy in the line started forward, nervously sitting down on the vacated stool as the witch grabbed the Sorting Hat to place it on his head. There was complete silence for a few moments as everyone in the room waited with bated breath.

"GRYFFINDOR!"

The table of red and gold burst out in applause and cheers, and the young Colin Creevey flushed red as he stumbled down to the end of the table, sitting down in a vacant spot on the bench. The rest of the first years in the line moved a step forward, and Professor McGonagall called another name. Toby began to tune her out, looking around the Great Hall and becoming entranced with the strange, magical ceiling that twinkled with tiny stars. He didn't register the line continuing to move forward until he heard a familiar name being called.

"Lovegood, Luna!"

Head snapping down, Toby watched his new friend sway over to the stool, her eyes still wide and unblinking. When the raggedy hat was dropped over her head, Toby wondered if her eyes were still open under them. Normally, he would've doubted it, but Luna didn't exactly apply to normal standards...

There were a few moments of silence, until the Sorting Hat shouted out, "RAVENCLAW!", and she swept down to the table of blue and bronze. There was a wide berth between her and her fellow housemates, and Toby started to wonder again what house he would be placed in. He didn't think he was particularly smart or anything (if his non-magical grades had anything to say about it) but one of the criteria for Raveclaw was a sharp wit. And Toby liked to think his wit was pretty sharp.

"Weasley, Ginevra!" Professor McGonagall called out, and Toby jolted a bit when the girl in front of him, with the fiery red hair, flounced up onto the stool. There was a blank expression on her face, but Toby was pretty sure she was just as nervous as he was, especially since the two red-haired twins at the red and gold table were hooting loudly and cheering. They got so loud that McGonagall glared icily at them, barking "Misters Fred and George Weasley!" Apparently, the two were quite familiar with the Transfiguration teacher, and simply bellowed a hello, before sitting back down and elbowing the people sitting beside them.

Toby turned back to the Sorting Hat just as it shouted out, "GRYFFINDOR!", prompting a whole new slew of cheers from the table of red and gold, and even louder exclamations from the two twins. Professor McGonagall just sighed exasperatedly, and Dumbledore's blue eyes twinkled in mirth as the twins high-fived each other, before sweeping down to give their baby sister a jointed hug. Professor McGonagall quickly shooed them back to their seats, before glancing at her parchment and then at Toby.

"Williams, Tobias."

Toby grimaced at his full name but scrambled onto the stool, facing the four tables and getting a small glance of every eye in the Great Hall boring into him. It sent a shiver down his spine, until the Sorting Hat flopped down over his eyes and the only thing he could see was black.

"Hmmm…" He heard the hat mumble. "Plenty of courage in you. Wouldn't do too bad in Gryffindor. But you got a lot of cunning. Very, very sly fellow, you are. Slytherin would be good, but you're muggleborn." The hat continued to 'hmm' some more, as if very torn between the two houses. Toby fidgeted under the hat's scrutiny, and it suddenly chuckled in his head. "No, your wit isn't good enough for Ravenclaw, boy. It's has to be Slytherin or Gryffindor." Toby's eyebrows furrowed, and the hat sighed. "I'm not putting you in Ravenclaw. You wouldn't survive the first day."

'_But… but Luna's there!_' He argued in his head dejectedly. The hat still refused, and a vein in Toby's head started to tick. '_Ravenclaw!_' He ground out stubbornly.

"Ohh, stubborn yeah? Well than, I guess it'll have to be—"

Toby saw it coming. He knew the hat was going to shout out the house he _didn't _want to be in, and started up quickly, grabbing the frayed edges in his hands.

"GRYFF—"

He tore the Sorting Hat from his head, shouting out, "NO!" before it hit the ground. The hat, so shocked with the young boy's rough handling, stopped in mid-shout and went quiet. Beside him, Professor McGonagall drew in a scandalized gasp, scrambling forward to gently lift the precious magical artefact from the ground.

"Mr. Williams!" McGonagall shouted just at the same time Sarah rounded the head table, exclaiming, "Toby Williams!" with her reprimanding voice. Toby was numb when his eyes rose to lock with Luna's, who was staring sadly at him as well. He could somewhat hear Sarah's furious whispers at his atrocious behaviour, and turned to look at McGonagall dusting the Sorting Hat off and looking somewhat haggard. "Honestly, the term hasn't even started yet and one of my Gryffindors is making trouble…"

An idea sprouting in his head from McGonagall's distracted mumbling, Toby reached forward, quickly nabbing the hat from the teacher and spinning to the side, slamming it on Sarah's head to shut her up.

There was utter silence throughout the Great Hall, and the only person who was totally unsurprised, and rather intrigued, was the Headmaster Dumbledore sitting in the golden throne right behind Toby.

The hat stayed on Sarah's head for a little while, until McGonagall regained her bearings and started forward to take it off the muggle's head. But Dumbledore stretched out an arm, stopping her at the same time the Sorting Hat gruffly stated, "Hold on a minute." Shocked into another stupor, everyone in the Great Hall watched the young woman with the large hat on her head, wondering where she would be placed (if she could be placed at all. The Sorting Hat has only ever been used on magical humans).

Sarah, dumbstruck when the hat first dropped on her head, now started to shake ever so slightly as the hat sifted through her different characteristics. It was covering part of her face, but Toby could tell she started to pale under the scrutiny, though what she wanted to hide, Toby didn't know. It wasn't long before it bellowed out, "GRYFFINDOR!", and Sarah whipped itoff her head, almost dropping it like it was hot coals.

"I… I'm so sorry about all of this." Sarah whispered to McGonagall, handing her the Sorting Hat. She barely registered the older woman's reply, turning to set her brown eyes on Toby's startling blue ones. Her breath hitched, and she quickly turned to dash back to her seat at the end of the table. Everyone in the Great Hall was bewildered (except Dumbledore), especially when the hat spoke up from McGonagall's arms.

"Put me back on the kid's head." He said, and Toby obediently allowed the hat to collapse over his eyes. A doomed feeling quickly settled in the pit of his stomach, and he once again searched for his whimsical friend out in the crowd of blue and bronze. There was a comforting lilt to her smile, and she nodded ever so slightly at him.

'_It's okay_.'

"You're a troublemaker, you know that?" The hat asked rhetorically, and Toby flinched. "After what I've seen from your sister's head…" He trailed off, chuckling, and Toby had the inkling that the Sorting Hat was talking about seeing much more than simply the pranks he pulled as a child. (But the Toby didn't know it went beyond that. Beyond just him, and Sarah, and the goblins that followed him around like lost puppies.)

(He would never know that _this_…)

"I hope you're tough enough for this, kid, 'cause for you it'll have to be—"

(_This_ is where it all started.)

"SLYTHERIN!"

_

* * *

A/N _Betcha didn't see that coming did'ya? (Well, maybe.) Sarah was pretty hard to choose to. I was debating on sorting her into Hufflepuff, 'cause loyalty is really big with her. But I just love the dynamic of Gryffindor and Slytherin, so it was almost a no-brainer.

Now, of course as you can tell, none of you got the first question from the last chapter right. Quite a few of you nailed the second question, but the first question was a total hit-and-miss. So, sadly, none of you got a sneek peak of this chapter.

But do not dread! For I have two _new_ questions for you. The same rules and rewards apply here. You must answer BOTH questions correctly to get a sneak peek at chapter 4. So without further ado, here they are!

1. What position has Sarah been assigned at Hogwarts?

2. Who will be Toby's second friend?

Now keep in mind the first question is hinted at in one of the chapters (I'm not telling which one~). The second question is another blind-in-the-dark. That being said, happy guessing!

(And please review!)

Snowflake Flower


	5. The Whomping Willow

**Of Hogwarts and Inheritances**

**Chapter 4: The Whomping Willow  
**

He knew.

The Sorting Hat _knew_.

Well, Sarah wasn't really sure if a magical object could _have_ a gender, but he sounded undeniably male to her. Hence, _he knew_.

The Champion of the Labyrinth could feel Hagrid's large, comforting grip on her arm as she sank numbly into her chair at the head table. But she couldn't really pay much attention to her surroundings, given that there was one huge, gigantic problem that just arose in the span of two minutes. Maybe less.

Faintly, there was a brief shout from that same voice that mumbled to himself in her head, and a delayed applause that was awkward at best. Sarah figured that Toby had finally got himself sorted, and wished that she could be excited for him. But how could she? Every secret that she ever kept, that she ever locked away deep in her heart had come bubbling to the surface because of some stupid, ragged old hat that her little brother decided would be fun to slam on her head.

Muffling a groan, Sarah tried to sink deeper into her chair, but it was impossible once she heard her name being called by the headmaster, and Hagrid grabbing her arm to tug her upwards, trying to make her stand.

"As for the other addition to our staff, this is a most momentous occasion for Hogwarts, School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. For our newest staff member is Ms. Sarah Williams; a muggle!"

Steadying on her shaky feet, Sarah peered out at all the gobsmacked students and the utter silence that accompanied her introduction, before they all started whispering furiously to each other. The table of green and silver, Slytherin, were giving her dirty, disgusted looks (all except for Toby, who was looking mighty uncomfortable). The rest of the students were simply curious as they stared outright at her, as if she was a fine specimen who was rather daft compared to them.

Feeling righteous anger sparking in her chest, Sarah squared her shoulders and clasped her hands at the front of her robes. Head held high, her dark eyes stared down at each and every one of the students who gossiped around her, a stern expression coming over her face. It quelled many of the speculations and comments that spread around the Great Hall as Dumbledore started to talk over his school.

"Ms. Williams has graciously offered her services to us. As such, she is now the new Assistant Gamekeeper under our very own Rubeus Hagrid." His eyes twinkled almost challengingly, as if daring one of the students (no matter if they were from Slytherin or Gryffindor) to talk down to the muggle. "Ms. Williams will be treated with the same respect given to your professors, and magical pranks played on her person _will not be tolerated_." His voice turned low and dangerous at the end, an echo of the punishment a student would receive if they dared to cross him. Just as quickly as the shift in his demeanour came, though, it left and he was smiling brightly again. "Now then, on to the feast!"

The food appeared rather suddenly, and Sarah was glad she was warned about it beforehand, sitting down and quickly tucking in. Sparing a moment, the woman looked up to catch her brother sullenly picking at his food, his other housemates ignoring him with all the dignity of pompous prats. Anger stirred in her, but she quickly bit down the insults rising to her throat and gripped her fork with more force than necessary. There was much vicious stabbing of her chicken before she noticed a large commotion, and the Great Hall started to clear of students.

Sarah spotted Toby being herded along with his fellow first years out the Great Hall, and presumably down to the dungeons where the Slytherin common room was located. After being guaranteed a spot on the Hogwarts staff, Sarah had read obsessively about the magical school. She had researched and asked many questions, mostly to Headmaster Dumbledore who was quite cheerful in response to her many questions. As a result, the young woman liked to say she was a veritable expert on Hogwarts most basic infrastructure (for one cannot presume to be a master of Hogwarts in _any_ way, so quotes Albus Dumbledore).

Despairing a bit as she watched her brother being saddled out of the dining hall of the magical school, Sarah stood as well, intent on secluding herself in her personal quarters inside the castle. (She would not be living in a hut outside Hogwarts; that she made clear.) Quickly bidding Hagrid goodbye, Sarah scuttled down from the staff table, trying to maintain a blank indifference as she pushed past some of the older students, feeling their eyes and hearing their whispers.

She was just exiting the Great Hall, turning from the edge of the large doorway when Sarah knocked into a shorter figure, who tumbled to the ground with a little yelp.

"Oh, sorry!" Sarah exclaimed, bending down to help the young girl (a first year?) back onto her feet. Her face couldn't be seen too well at first, because of not only the angle of her head, but the large mass of bushy, brown hair blocking her face. Her features were revealed soon enough, pinched in worry as her large front teeth poked out to gnaw on her lower lip. "Are you alright?" Sarah asked, and the little girl nodded.

"Yes. Thank you professor," she mumbled, shuffling on her two feet, her eyes darting around as if searching for someone. Sarah smiled thinly, still crouched down to the younger girl's eye level.

"I'm not a professor." Sarah admonished teasingly, her dark hair obstructing half of her eye. She reached up to tuck it back behind her ear. "Just call me Sarah." The young girl paused in her search, blinking as she _really_ observed the new staff member in front of her. There was a little squeak from her, and she flushed red.

"Oh! You're… you're the new muggle gamekeeper!" she exclaimed. Sarah grinned.

"Assistant gamekeeper," she supplied helpfully and the young girl seemed to brighten up. There was a strange new determination sparking in her eyes, but for what Sarah didn't know. Yet.

"Professor—" she started, only to be interrupted.

"Sarah."

"Ms. Sarah," she repeated, before continuing on. "I know we're supposed to go back to our common rooms, but I'm… I'm…" She paused here, wondering about something worriedly, her face pinching again. Sarah tilted her head at the young girl, recognizing the hunched, unsure shoulders of a person conflicted with following the rules, or doing the right thing. Sarah decided to make the choice easier.

"What's your name?" She asked softly, and the girl's head popped up in surprise. She answered with a faint, "Hermione Granger, ma'am," and Sarah smiled a bit. "Well, Hermione—do you mind if I call you that?" There was a negative head shake. "Well Hermione, normally I would tell you to head back to your common room, because that _is_ where you're supposed to be," her face fell drastically. "But I can make an exception if you tell me what's going on, _and_ let me come with you."

Hermione brightened up, her eyes shining with hope as if she'd found a new authority figure to trust in (or take advantage of, depending how you looked at it), and glanced out to the doors leading to the courtyard. "Oh, thank you so much professor!" She exclaimed, and Sarah opened her mouth to correct the young girl again only to sigh and smile, defeated. Hermione bit her lip, looking around again before leaning in close to Sarah's face.

"My two friends are missing. They were supposed to be on the train with me, but I think they missed it and it left without them. Surely, if they were okay, they would've been here by now. Because then they would've just had to floo to Hogwarts, but they're not here and now I'm wondering if they just took the train after it went back to King's Cross, but then they would have to _walk_ to Hogwarts without riding the horseless carriages, and—"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Sarah interrupted, placing her hands on Hermione's shoulders to calm her down. The little bookworm was starting to hyperventilate a little, and Sarah petted her head to get her to relax. "I'm sure they're fine, Hermione. We can go tell the headmaster, and I'm sure he'll figure something out." She looked stricken at that, glancing at the doors of the Entrance Hall as if she wanted to bolt out there and find them herself. So, taking a deep breath, Sarah straightened up. "Then again, we can do a quick check of the grounds first, and _then_ go to the headmaster." At the relieved expression on Hermione's face, Sarah squared her shoulders and motioned the girl along.

They stepped out into the cool night air, and Hermione shivered, drawing her robe tighter around herself. Sarah, on the other hand, was feeling rather humid and unclipped her robe, letting it hang in front of her and displaying her muggle jeans and white blouse. "Right then," she said, smiling kindly at the young girl and beginning to walk the path out of Hogwarts. "To Hogsmeade?"

Hermione nodded, and the two of them set off into the glowing night. The road itself was cobblestone, looking almost like a random jigsaw puzzle that was worn with track marks. Sarah supposed it was from the wheels of the horseless carriages (which weren't actually operated on magic, but drawn by horse-like creatures called Thestrals). She didn't pay them too much mind though, glancing around the dark night and trying to see with just the pale light of the moon as a guide. She could hear the Whomping Willow in the distance, its branches cutting sharply and thickly in the air…

…wait, what?

Startled, Sarah stopped Hermione in mid-step, ignoring her confused whisper and listening closely to the magical tree. The Whomping Willow only ever moved very quietly and slowly, but at that moment it sounded as if it was flailing wildly around, trying to protect itself.

"Hermione," Sarah said, steering the girl behind her taller figure. "Stay behind me." She heard the younger girl suck in a sharp breath and cling to her loose robes.

"Professor, what's wrong?" she asked quietly. Sarah just kept a hand on her shoulder in comfort, and advanced slowly towards the Whomping Willow as its branches became more erratic with every second. It was coming into view quickly enough, as they were not that far from it, and Sarah could pick out the dark shadows of the gluttonous branches swinging back and forth. It was only after she had taken a few more steps closer that Sarah realized there were two tiny figures scrambling around on the tree, one of them stumbling and falling on the ground. Behind her, Sarah heard Hermione draw in a sharp breath.

"Harry! Ron!" she cried, coming around the older woman to try and dash off to her friend's aid. Sarah held her back, eyes narrowing when the red-headed boy (his hair was visible like a siren in a silent street) also toppled to the ground, near the base of the tree. But the other boy who had previously fallen off was not so lucky to be out of the danger, rolling and running away from the branches that clipped too close to him.

"Professor, please! We have to help them!" she exclaimed, trying to fight out of the woman's strong grip. Tears sparked at the corners of her eyes, and Sarah quickly hushed her.

"I will," Sarah promised, her eyes hard. "Just stay here, and keep safe okay?" One of the thicker branches of the Whomping Willow swooped in low, heading directly for the black-haired boy who was slightly dazed and struggling onto his feet. Sarah didn't wait for Hermione to reply, and took off towards the magical tree as soon as she realized the young boy was in danger of being seriously hurt. Sarah didn't notice her loose robes flying off her body as she took off, ducking in low as she dodged the first of the flailing branches.

Sarah heard Hermione shriek in fear from behind her, but kept her eyes carefully on the branches as she quickly hopped over one of the smaller branches aiming to knock at her feet. She reached the black-haired boy fairly quickly, tackling him to the ground and feeling her heart pound loudly in her ears as she felt a few tiny branches scratch over her back. The cold air stung at the cuts, but Sarah tried her best to ignore the pain and stood up, hauling Harry onto his feet as well. The two of them started backing away slightly, the Whomping Willow groaning angrily as they escaped his attack.

"Harry! Professor!" Sarah heard Hermione exclaim from behind them, and Sarah cursed internally as she saw another branch swing at them. Grabbing the back of Harry's – the boy's name, she presumed – robes, Sarah forced him to jump backwards with her, both of them stumbling and falling, but the tip of the branch just steering clear of them. A little winded, Sarah turned to the redhead still squished uncomfortably up against the tree bark, looking terrified.

"Ron!" Harry whispered under his breath furiously, his eyes darting around to see if he could break for it. But as soon as he leaned forward to break into a dash, Sarah grabbed the back of his robes again, hauling him back with her.

"Oooh no," she protested, keeping a firm grip on his shoulder. "You can easily dodge the rest of the Whomping Willow from here." Sarah told him, knowing that coupled with Harry's startlingly good reflexes and the easy view of incoming branches he would be able to make it back to Hermione, and out of danger. "I want you to run back to where Hermione is, and leave your friend to me." He looked stricken at the thought.

"But professor—" Sarah wanted to groan, but forced Harry to the ground to avoid another branch.

"Sarah," she corrected, rising to a low crouch. "Sarah Williams; the new Assistant Gamekeeper of Hogwarts." Her brown eyes met Harry's bright green ones as she grinned, one hand laid flat on his chest. "Nice to meet you."

Not giving him time to react, Sarah pushed hard on his chest, sending him sprawling onto his back as she propelled her legs forward, crouching lower and barely avoiding the thick branch passing over her head. Hermione's horrified shriek rang in Sarah's ears, but she ignored it as she neared the red-haired boy named Ron. He was quivering against the trunk of the tree, looking at her with wide and relieved eyes. She grinned at him, waving hello.

"Please tell me you're the new defence teacher and not Lockhart," he said hopefully, and Sarah laughed. She had met Gilderoy Lockhart briefly during the staff meeting before the welcoming feast, and held much more than a little disdain for him. (Most Charming Smile my a—)

"Come on," Sarah prompted, grabbing his arm and hauling him up on his feet. "We're gonna have to make a break for it." Ron's eyes widened and he squeaked a little in terror as one of the branches brushed against the floor, taking out a section of the grass and revealing the dirt underneath. From her spot at the base of the tree, Sarah could pick out Harry scrambling quickly to where Hermione was, the girl throwing her arms thankfully around him when he neared.

Sarah readied herself to make a dash for it, when she suddenly remembered the deactivation point for the Whomping Willow that only staff members knew about. But then she glanced at Ron and saw the red and gold colours on his tie, and smirked. Courage, huh? Let's see about that.

"On my mark," Sarah started, crouching low again. Ron was shaking beside her, but crouched as well. "Ready… set…" The Whomping Willow seemed to increase its speed, groaning dangerously as Sarah waited for just… the right…

"NOW!"

She let Ron go first; his legs were surprisingly fast as he kept maintained his position just slightly ahead of her. Sarah listened closely to the sound of the wind roaring in her ears, and the sweeping of the Whomping Willow as it aimed for them. They were quite lucky to avoid all the incoming branches without having to duck, reaching Hermione and Harry relatively quickly. However Sarah did manage to get slapped in the face by the tips of a thin branch, a shallow cut appearing on her cheek. Her neck still hurt from the force of it snapping to the side.

Gasping from his sprint and the near-death experience, Ron sank to the floor, too tired to bother protesting when Hermione hugged him shortly before smacking him and Harry both in the heads. "What in the name of Merlin were you thinking?!" she screeched, and Sarah grinned a bit when both of the boys looked rightly bashful. Sarah turned her head, content to let the young girl chew them out for her, before spotting the light blue Ford Anglia nestled in the crook of the tree. Her eyebrow rose, and she turned to stare at Ron and Harry.

"You drove a car?" she asked them, cutting Hermione off. The young witch must not have seen the car in her concern, as her head rose and she gasped. Harry ducked his head and Ron's ears flushed red. "How did it get up there?" she asked, mostly to herself as she turned back to look at the car.

"My dad enchanted it to fly," Ron muttered, rubbing his neck. Hermione's eyes widened, and she turned quickly on the two of them.

"You _drove_ a _flying car_?!" She shrieked, and even Sarah winced at the shrill note in her voice.

"It's not his fault," Harry spoke up hurriedly. "The barrier at King's Cross wouldn't let me in, so Ron stayed with me to find a way to get to Hogwarts without going on the train." But Hermione wasn't listening, pacing the space in front of the two boys, her hands fussing with her bushy hair as her eyes remained impossibly wide.

"You _drove_ a _flying car_," she whispered, stunned. She continued pacing very slowly, eyes still wide. Harry bet all the money in his vault that she was running through every rule they'd broken with the new stunt they'd pulled. And he was right when she turned to them, glaring furiously. But he wasn't prepared for the little tears glittering at the corners of her eyes. "Are you both _mad_? You could have been killed!"

"Or worse; expelled," Ron joked from his spot on the ground, flinching when Hermione kicked him in the shin. Sarah tried to stifle her grin, stepping forward to grab Hermione's hands and crouch down to be eye level with her.

"Now, now, Hermione. I'm sure I love standing outside at night in the cold just as much as you, but we need to go talk to Headmaster Dumbledore. He'll probably be wondering why there's a car that won't leave the Whomping Willow alone." Almost on cue, the four of them turned their heads to look at the magical tree, its branches still swinging wildly as if sensing the car still there. But then Ron looked puzzlingly at her, starting to stand up.

"Can't you just levitate it or something?" he asked, and Sarah grinned at him, brushing past Hermione to snag her robes lying on the ground. She didn't hear Hermione's stifled gasp of horror, nor did she see Ron's eyes widen or Harry biting his lip in shame.

"That would be a great idea," Sarah chuckled. "It's just too bad I'm not a witch." The word itself still felt strange falling from her lips, as she had always thought of 'witch' as a rather derogatory term for a female. (Then again, that could be because Sarah had been influenced by Irene's many scathing comments on women she didn't like at work.)

"Professor—" Hermione started, being cut off by Harry.

"Sarah."

"Ms. Sarah," Hermione corrected. "I think you should go see Madame Pomfrey." Sarah turned around, surprised as she held her robes in one hand.

"What for?" she asked. "I feel fine." Harry and Hermione shot each other a look, wondering how to break it to her gently, but Ron was always rather straightforward and to-the-point, looking a little sick as he pointed at her.

"Your back's all covered in blood," he stated, and Sarah blinked. She angled her head to try and look at the aforementioned body part, but obviously a person can't look at their own back without a mirror or other device to help. So she simply curved her hand around, grimacing and then wincing at the pain when her fingers met one of the cuts still pouring blood. Still, the slight sting of the lacerations told Sarah it was a superficial wound, and not at all in desperate need of care.

"Alright," she began, wiping the blood on her hand onto her robes. "First things first. I'm going to show you to the headmaster, and then I'll go to Madame Pomfrey." Smiling brightly at the three kids dumbfounded at her order of priorities (and hoping they could sneak off while she was in the infirmary), Sarah ushered the three of them off, back into Hogwarts to see Dumbledore.

The three of them were silent during the trek back to the castle, and Sarah sighed inwardly when she was suddenly reminded of Toby while looking at Harry, the boy who she suspected had started (his fault or not) this rather eventful night. Her train of thought would have continued down this path, had Ron not suddenly turned around and exclaimed, "You're not a witch?!"

Hermione rolled her eyes, Harry's mouth dropped open, and Sarah just grinned, holding her hand out.

"Sarah Williams," she said. "The new, non-magical, Assistant Gamekeeper of Hogwarts."

...

...

...**  
**

Toby hated the Slytherin dungeons. The minute he stepped into the cold, dark, dank common room, Toby hated it. But he held his tongue as the fifth year prefects showed them to the first year dorms, explaining curtly about curfew and other miscellaneous things before leaving the room, slamming the door. Toby hated how the loud sound echoed through the relatively large sized dorms, sneaking peeks at his four other roommates.

Two of the boys sneered at him, turning quickly to start personalizing their beds. Another boy fiddled nervously with his robes, his face pale and blanched as he sat down gingerly on his bed and stared dumbly at the green and silver décor. The last boy was apathetic, simply busying himself and choosing not to look at anybody. Toby felt a little detached from them all, frowning when his gut told him he really didn't belong here.

Sqeek hugged on of his legs in comfort, while Sneek and Skuell glared at the rest of the oblivious occupants, gripping their weapons and readying themselves for an impromptu attack from the other boys.

Toby just sighed, plopping onto his bed and staring up at the stone ceiling of his dorm room. He could feel Sqeek crawling up the bed, stopping beside his head and sitting quietly.

"Is the young master wanting to see the Missy Sarah?" the goblin asked.

Toby just glared at the ceiling, grabbed his pillow, and slammed it on his face.

...

...

...**  
**

Sarah grit her teeth as the cuts on her back started to sting horribly, but bit back any sign of her pain and strode forward towards the gargoyles blocking the entrance to the headmaster's office. The second years (not first years, she discovered shortly) trailed behind her, looking a little nervous as they approached the gargoyles. Harry was hissing at Hermione that she could feign obliviousness to their antics and go back to the common room, but the smart child hissed back that she would be needed as a witness to their insanity.

Sarah couldn't help smiling at that.

Clearing her throat, the Labyrinth champion straightened and felt a little silly as she recited the password, touching the cut on her cheek.

"Jawbreakers."

The gargoyles leapt aside, and Sarah motioned them up the stairs. Sarah could hear dual voices in the office, and wondered who was in there before she raised her hand to knock on the door.

"Come in!" Dumbledore called out, and Sarah grinned a little. She had come to realize it was impossible to sneak up on the Headmaster of Hogwarts. So she opened the door, ushering the three children inside first before stepping in herself. And her face went blank when she realized Hogwarts resident potions master was the second voice she heard.

"Why am I not surprised?" Severus Snape droned, his eyes darting down to glare at Harry. Sarah bristled angrily at his unprofessionalism in front of the three second years, but was even angrier at his blatant hatred for Harry. Dumbledore ignored his potions master, however, and smiled kindly at Harry, Ron, and Hermione.

"Harry! Mr. Weasley! Ms. Granger! What brings you to my office?" he asked, and Sarah wondered at his familiar tone with Harry. She stifled a laugh as she saw the three of them gazing around at the strange devices and the overall grandeur of the headmaster's office. She could relate; her reaction was much more amusing to the old wizard. But Sarah shook off those nostalgic thoughts and stepped forward, strained now that her cuts were really starting to smart.

"Harry and Ron seem to have… ah… gotten into a bit of trouble," she replied, and the two ducked their heads in shame. Dumbledore sat up a little, intrigued, while Snape just raised an eyebrow. "I bumped into Hermione after leaving the Great Hall—" Sarah started, only to be cut off by Hermione who jumped in, turning to her with a concerned look.

"Professor," she started, prompting a scoff from Snape and a little smile from Dumbledore, "maybe you should go see Madame Pomfrey now. I can explain what happened to the headmaster." At the mention of an injury warranting a visit to the infirmary, Dumbledore rose from his desk, a worried expression coming over his face.

"Ms. Williams, is there something wrong?" he asked, and Sarah sighed. Hermione was shooting her a stern look of her own, and the Labyrinth champion couldn't find it in her to complain when she felt the dried blood caked on her back and shirt. So she turned around to show them her cuts, tucking her hair behind her ear in embarrassment when Dumbledore's face turned grave.

"I do believe Ms. Granger is correct," he agreed, and Sarah grimaced. "Shall I ask Severus to escort you to the hospital wing?" Sarah glanced over at Snape, whose lips twisted in a sneer at the thought of helping one of _her_ kind. At that, her eyes narrowed in slits and she restrained from walking over to him and demonstrating the results of her athletic extracurricular activities. After all, the stronger the leg, the more it hurts when it kicks at a… ah… _particular_ body part.

"I'll be okay," Sarah assured, shooting a glare at Snape. "There's no need to _bother_ Professor Snape with my trivialities." The damn potions master looked rightly smug at that, and Sarah decided that she, at the moment, rather hated the head of her brother's house. But the woman bit down her insults, and reached out to lay a kind hand on Hermione's shoulder.

"Thanks Hermione," she said gratefully, the torn edges of her shirt brushing painfully against her cuts. "You're a real sweetie." Smiling brightly, Sarah gave her a half-hug before reaching out with both hands to ruffle Harry and Ron's heads. They both yelped at her affectionate gesture (and the fact she was messing up their hair… though Harry's showed no sign of change). "Make sure you watch these two troublemakers," the assistant joked, grinning at the three of them. "I can't promise I'll save your butts next time."

They grinned back at her, and Sarah turned to walk out of the headmaster's office. She was stopped for a brief moment when Dumbledore called out her name, and his blue eyes were twinkling in mirth.

"Whatever you did, Ms. Williams," he began, peering at her from above his tiny spectacles, "I'm sure it is because you are a true Gryffindor. Thank you." And Sarah was struck with the feeling he already knew what she had risked to save Harry and Ron. But she merely smiled, inclined her head, and left the grand room to hear the fading whispers of the two boys asking Hermione what their headmaster was talking about.

...

...

...**  
**

Sarah barely made it to the hospital wing, cursing herself for being so stupid for letting her blood slowly flow out of her. She opened the doors, stepping inside and thanking whoever-the-hell-was-out-there that Madame Pomfrey had not retired to bed for the night. Instead, she was stacking some potions onto her supply shelf, gasping accordingly when Sarah struggled into her infirmary.

"Ms. Williams!" she exclaimed, horrified when she saw the cuts on Sarah's back. "Quickly, quickly; onto the bed," Poppy ordered, helping the young woman up herself. She was instructed not to lie on her back, but instead on her front. So the championess eased onto her front, hissing in pain when her shirt was lifted away from her body and quickly discarded of.

"Merlin, how did you ever get these cuts?" Poppy asked, and Sarah tried to reply, but her words were very slurred as the exhaustion started to seep into her skin. The Healer retracted her question, merely telling the wounded gamekeeper to lay still so she could close up the wounds.

Sarah laid there for long minutes, dozing in and out of consciousness as she waited for the painful sting in her back to go away. It didn't, and it was then she started to register Poppy's concerned mutterings. Her nervousness was rising, and she turned her head to try and look behind her. "Is something wrong, Madame Pomfrey?" she asked, and if she could see the witch, Sarah would have known that Poppy froze up at her question, her expression all one of panic.

"One… one moment dear," Poppy blurted out, and bustled over to her half-stocked supply shelf. There was a lot of clinking and clanging, most likely from the bottles hitting each other as the nurse searched frantically for something. She found it quickly enough, hollering from the other end of the hospital wing for Sarah to sit up. Sarah did as she was told, wincing a bit at the constant stinging in her back. "Drink this up," Poppy ordered, her voice a little shaky as she carefully observed Sarah down the bottle quickly.

Sarah grimaced at the horrible taste, finding that wizarding medicine and muggle medicine weren't all that different. They both tasted atrocious.

Poppy turned to look at Sarah's back, nodding in satisfaction when the wounds closed up. She handed Sarah her robe, which the young woman tied around herself to hide her partial nakedness. She slipped off the hospital bed, nodding gratefully at Poppy. "I'll be heading back to my room now," she said, and Poppy looked ready to protest, but then clamped her lips shut as she contemplated something.

"Well… all right then," she acquiesced. "I need to speak to the headmaster about something, so I will escort you back to your room." This time, Sarah looked ready to protest, but the nurse shot her a glare and the protests withered away in her throat.

After making sure Sarah's robes were on securely, the two of them made their way all the way up to the Gryffindor Tower, and to a smaller portrait in the hallway connected to the one with the Fat Lady. The portrayed person was of one of Godric Gryffindor's daughters, a serious looking girl whom held a 2-D version of her father's famous sword. Sarah often tried to make her smile or laugh, but was mostly unsuccessful in her endeavours.

"Password," the portrait asked with a perfectly blank voice. Sarah's eyes darkened as she remembered what she had set for her password, remembered that ghostly memory of when she was but a maiden in a treacherous story. She still remembers, an entire decade ago, how the heavy press of the Labyrinth's magic felt against her skin. How it suffocated her _feeble_ _human body_… and how it changed the very composition of her brother's.

Yes… Sarah remembered exactly what the password to open her magical door was.

"You have no power over me."

...

...

...**  
**

Jareth watched Toby carefully from the comfort of his spiked throne. He boiled with rage, contemplating how Sarah could let the boy study in a school of _humans_. Of _magical _ humans who didn't truly and completely understand the delicate craft. It was much like shoving a genius in a class of idiots! It was absolutely absurd!

And yet the Goblin King couldn't put Sarah at fault, knowing that he was already keeping many secrets from her. Secrets that she rather deserved to know, because not only were they about herself, but also about their precious—I mean _her_ precious Toby. But alas, Jareth was content to keep his secrets, and he liked to think that Sarah was content to be oblivious to them. But if she ever found out…

"Ask, and you shall have it," he murmured, conjuring another crystal to see if he could scry for Sarah, despite knowing it would never work. And, as always, the crystal remained impossibly clear, sparking his anger. He threw it against the wall, the shards disappearing before the hit the ground – like before – and sulked in his throne.

Jareth had always held on to the belief that she would change her mind. That she would realize how much he loved her, and cherished her, and would do anything and everything for her. All she needed to do was _say the words_… but how could she, when she didn't even know what the words are?

"Oh, precious thing, how you torment me," he groaned, his head lolling back and his silvery blonde locks dangling down. He was pathetic, waiting for her like a lonely puppy. It sickened him. The Goblin King! Reduced to sniffling over a _mortal_. It was preposterous.

The magic in the Labyrinth shifted, and Jareth couldn't help his grin as he felt the familiar aura of his sweet, precious Sarah as she entered through her enchanted mirror. But his elation quickly turned to alarm as her aura spiked dangerously, showing she was in a right state of panic and hysteria. This was further established when Jareth neared his room, hearing her high voice yelling for someone; it was only a second after that he realized it was _his_ name she was calling.

Bursting into the doorway, Jareth spotted Sarah clutching an eleven-year old Toby to her chest, tears tracked down her face. Her brother's arm was mottled green, and the sickly colour was moving steadily up his arm, past his shoulder where Jareth knew it would soon reach his neck.

"Help him!" Sarah cried, her knuckles white as she held her brother. And Jareth cursed as he confirmed the sickness that was slowly killing Toby Williams.

Iron poisoning.

_

* * *

A/N_ And here's the next chapter! I seemed to have misjudged the length of it, as you never get to see who Toby's second friend will be. To apologize for that, you will get the answer for the second question.

Who will be Toby's second friend?  
Answer: Why, Ginny Weasley of course! (Awesome job to those who guessed correctly.)

Which brings me to the next two questions. Same rules apply here.

Question 1: What event marks the beginning of Toby and Ginny's friendship?

Question 2: What two subjects will Toby be most adept at?

Until next time! (And don't forget to review please!)

Snowflake Flower


	6. Of Redheads and Pranksters

**Of Hogwarts and Inheritances**

**Chapter 5: Of Redheads and Pranksters**

The sun was shining in the sky, and the morning air was crisp and fresh. It was a beautiful day for the first day of the school year, and many students would soon be outside after classes, enjoying the sunshine and the dewed grass. In fact, many students were experiencing it right this second as they walked along the halls of Hogwarts, feeling the sun through the open windows. Well… except the Slytherins. They were slowly making their way up to breakfast through the dungeons, which were undoubtedly chilly and constantly dark.

Toby trailed behind a few of the first year Slytherins he had followed up from the common room. They were studiously ignoring him, chatting with each other as they strolled out onto the Entrance Hall and towards the Great Hall for the first breakfast they would ever eat at Hogwarts. It was quite an exciting event, seeing as they would be receiving their schedules during breakfast as well. But Toby was more glum than excited, watching his housemates disappear around the large doorway. Sighing, he squared his shoulders to follow them, only to turn around when he heard the sound of bells.

It was originating from a speck of blonde and blue and bronze that was walking into the Entrance Hall. Toby squinted his eyes to get a better look, and blinked in surprise. "Luna?" he asked when the bell sound stopped just as his friend stopped walking. She was wearing her house colours (causing a grimace to appear on Toby's face) and was smiling dreamily. There were two bells tied to the laces of her shoes, and Toby stared weirdly at the Lovegood. "What's with the bells?" he asked her, and Luna paused for a moment in her slight swaying.

"Have you ever lost something?" she asked him suddenly. Toby, unsure of how this related to his question, nodded. Luna nodded as well and pranced away into the Great Hall. Toby followed her form as it skirted away from him, scratching his head as he wondered just how insane his new friend was. But he brushed her actions aside (because everything she did never really made sense to him) and followed her.

The Great Hall was as magnificent as last night; the only difference being the magical ceiling reflected a bright and sunny day instead of the twinkling stars of the universe. Toby paid it no mind though, catching sight of the headmaster and an old woman in white robes talking in hushed tones at the Head Table. The old woman was jabbing one of her fingers discreetly in one direction, and Toby followed it to see Sarah slowly making her way to her seat at the staff table. He would've been content to stand there and wonder why his sister was being talked about, but a sneering voice cut him from his thoughts.

"Mr. Williams." Snape, his Head of House, droned as he dangled a piece of parchment in Toby's face. Toby quickly snatched it up, eyes narrowing under the cruel stare of the potions master. "Do get to eating breakfast. It will not do for a Slytherin to look any less than dignified." He seemed to pause in thought here, another cruel sneer quirking at his lips. "Although, you _were_ considered for Gryffindor because of your… _questionable_ upbringing so it's not as surprising."

Toby glared at the back of Snape's head as he turned around, his black robes swishing gracefully as he walked back to the staff table. Sarah seemed to notice him too, her eyes turning flame-cold as she saw him trek back to his seat. It sent a shiver down Toby's spine, as he was too used to seeing his sister with happy smiles and annoyed grimaces. She hardly got angry at anyone (and never at him; ever). And even when she did, there were only the frustrated yells and annoyed groans; never the cold hatred that seeped into her gaze now as she observed the potions master.

Settling down at the Slytherin table, Toby fished through his timetable, smiling when he realized he had Defence Against the Dark Arts with the Ravenclaws. He looked up, catching Luna's dreamy gaze at the next table. She was swaying slightly in her seat, radish earrings bumping softly against her cheeks. Her wide eyes met his, and she inclined her head slightly at him. Toby just grinned back at her, before ducking his head back down to tuck into breakfast.

Toby peeked at his timetable again, wondering what his first period was. His eyes scaled the yellowed parchment, locking onto the little slot at the very top of the chart.

'Hufflepuff and Slytherin 1st Period: Professor Minerva McGonagall—"

...

...

...

"Welcome to Transfiguration." McGonagall said briskly at the front of the room, posture impeccable as her eyes flickered over all the students. "My name is Professor McGonagall, and you will address me as such. Before we get started today, I warn each and every one of you who steps through these doors that transfiguration is a dangerous and serious subject, and will be regarded as such. Therefore, there is to be no lolly-gagging, pranking, tricking, joking, or any similar behaviour—"

At this point, Toby tuned out of the witch's long rant and relaxed a little bit in his chair. He took the short time he had to sweep his eyes across the room, noticing how the students in gold and black trembled every time McGonagall's stern gaze passed over them. His housemates didn't tremble, however Toby could tell they were scared too. Some of them had pinched lips, as if trying to stop their lips from shuddering.

"Now then. Each of you will get one matchstick." Toby jumped a bit as a thin piece of wood with flint at tone end plopped down in front of him. "Today's challenge is to turn the matchstick into a needle. Do not fret if you are unsuccessful. This is merely a diagnostic." The professor sat down promptly in the chair behind her desk, hands folded neatly on the wooden surface. "Begin."

Toby peered down at his matchstick, which sat unmoving on his desk. He observed it for a moment, wondering if this was really the challenge of the day. That soon led him to think this was some sort of joke, or maybe a trick. But then the Williams looked up at his desk mate, who was grumbling softly under his breath and glaring at the matchstick. It had thinned considerably, but was not particularly pointy or silver.

He must have looked quite bewildered, and must have been staring for a little while when his desk mate turned up to look at him, annoyed. "What?" he grated out harshly, making Toby blink in surprise at being called out.

"Oh… um, nothing." Toby said quickly, looking back down at his matchstick still lying prone on his desk. Deciding he might as well transfigure the darn thing, Toby raised his wand in the air, struck momentarily by the golden sheen of his wand. He shook it off, concentrating on the image of a needle in his mind. With a quick wave over the matchstick, it morphed neatly into a needle that lay gleaming on his wooden desk.

Toby stared at it for a moment or two, feeling a little dumb as he sat there and wondered '_is this really it?_' But the frustrated grumblings of his desk mate confirmed it for Toby, and the Slytherin shifted uneasily in his chair when he started to smell the faint odour of the metal in the needle. So Toby quickly swished his wand again, turning the needle back into a matchstick. But now he was back to square one, wondering what to do.

"Is there something wrong, Mr. Williams?"

Toby jumped, his head shooting up to see McGonagall standing at his desk. "Uh, no ma'am," he replied, straightening up so he was not disrespectful. McGonagall raised an eyebrow at him, nodding to his matchstick.

"Than why, pray tell, are you not working on what I've assigned?" she asked, and Toby recognized the look in her eyes. She seemed to have already pegged him as a troublemaker, and Toby grinned inwardly when she realized she had _no_ idea. But they were in class, and a master trickster never gave away all his secrets at once.

"I've already finished it, professor," Toby said innocently, before raising his magnificent wand and waving it gracefully over the matchstick.

Slytherin won twenty points that class.

...

...

...

Toby grinned as he swept down the hall, Sneek and Skuell snickering beside him when one boy tripped over the spear that Sneek stuck out. Transfiguration had quickly become Toby's favourite subject, simply because it was so _easy_. Toby was expecting to utterly fail because he was a muggleborn and didn't grow up with magical parents, but it was heartening for him to see he was better than all the people in that room! (Except Professor McGonagall, of course.)

Whistling a jaunty tune, Toby strolled down the corridor, entering the Entrance Antechamber and catching sight of his sister's familiar brown hair disappear out the large doors. Curious (and completely forgetting he still needed to get to potions class), Toby followed her, ignoring his goblins giggling excitedly under him.

When he entered the courtyard, he saw his sister bent over the stone fountain, cursing loudly when the water suddenly spurted on, dousing her in cold water. Toby stifled his laughter, finding it very hypocritical that Sarah often reprimanded him for his language, when she did it way more often (_and_ with plenty more colourful words). But, pretending he didn't hear her profanity, Toby piped up, "Hi Sarah!" in the most obnoxious voice he could manage.

Yelping, Sarah jolted up, water droplets flying on the ground and tracking down her shirt. There was a wide-eyed, deer-in-the-headlights look to her, until she saw it was only Toby and sighed. "Hi Toby," she greeted back, stifling most of the grin curling up her lips. A stray lock of hair was sticking to the middle of her face, and she pushed it away, huffing. "So how was your first class of the year?" she asked, and Toby beamed.

"Totally awesome!" he crowed, his goblins laughing hysterically under him (for what reason, Toby never wanted to know). "Professor McGonagall gave me twenty points!" Sarah laughed, reaching out to ruffle his hair.

"I'm proud of you kiddo," she said, laughing when he swatted her hands away, pouting because she was treating him like a kid (even though he was one). She was about to say more, but then the chiming of the clock tower caught her attention, and her face screwed up in confusion. "Toby… don't you have class?" Sarah asked, and looked down when he didn't seem to answer her. But he was already halfway up the path to the castle, his book bag thumping against his side.

Sarah smiled.

"Doesn't matter _what_ kind of school you send him to; he'll be late to every class, no problem."

...

...

...

Ginny Weasley looked gloomily up at the old, wooden door that served as the entrance to the potions classroom. She remembered, back at the Burrow, how all of her brothers (well, except Charlie and Bill because they were off in different parts of the world) warning her not to be late for Professor Snape's potions class. Percy even sat her down on the day before yesterday, telling her in his utterly pompous voice that it was extremely important she didn't do anything to upset the Head of Slytherin. Fred and George seemed to have an opposite opinion, feeling that ticking off Professor Snape would be the funniest thing for them to do, _ever_, but then strictly warned her to follow Percy's advice and _stay out of Snape's way!_

Ron, having overheard them, jumped in at this point, nodding along with his brothers. He tore off into a tangent of just how evil and horrible Snape was, prompting Fred and George to join in with their own stories, and Percy to sneakily (though he wasn't really good at that) leave the room. And when Percy decided that he would turn a blind eye despite his constant boasting about perfectly duties, Ginny knew it was bad.

So why in the name of Merlin was she standing outside in the hallway, _late_ for potions class?

Whimpering a bit under her breath, Ginny took a deep breath and squeezed her eyes shut, hand shaking at her side as she tried to gather up the courage to knock on the door.

"Aren't you going in?"

Shrieking, Ginny spun around to see a mix of blonde, green, and silver standing beside her, head titled curiously. Her eyes narrowed when she realized the student was a Slytherin, but then her face twisted in puzzlement after double-checking and remembering it was the almost-Gryffindor. "Um…" Ginny blurted out after she realized she hadn't answered his question. "I was… I was just about to," she gnashed out, a bit put off that once they walked in, Snape would undoubtedly ignore his lateness and punish hers to the full extent.

The blonde boy quirked a brow, but shrugged and turned to the door. "Okay, then let's go together," he suggested casually, opening the door and ignoring Ginny's horrified gasp.

"I can teach you to bottle fame, brew glory, and even stopper death— Mr. Williams? Ah, finally decided to join us, hm?" Snape drawled, his spindly fingers linked at his chest as he turned to face his student, robes billowing about him. Quivering at his narrowed eyes, Ginny reminded herself that she was a Gryffindor, for Merlin's sake, and she shouldn't be scared to step into a classroom! But really, she only entered because she was afraid of a harsher punishment if she stayed out in the hall any longer.

The blonde turned a bit when she crept up behind him, his blue eyes bright in the dim lights.

"Hm? Well, this must be the youngest Weasley of the bunch," Snape droned again, eyes narrowed when he took in her bright red hair and red and gold house colours. "How quaint." Turning away from them to stalk back to the front of the room, Snape waved a hand at an empty table at the very front of class. "Twenty points from the both of you, and a detention this evening for being late to _my_ class. Now sit down; you will be partnered as an added punishment for being tardy on the first day of term."

...

...

...

Toby officially hated Snape. Twenty points _and_ a detention? Where the hell was the justice in that?! I mean sure, he was late by five minutes, but it was the first day of term! Toby was pretty sure he would get lost going from his dorm room to the loo, if he could help it. (Really, though, Toby was angry about losing the twenty points from Transfiguration class. He already had a lot of experience with detentions.)

Simmering in anger, Toby started towards the table at the front of the class, his goblins staring curiously up at the redhead who was staring wide-eyed into nothing. Sqeek poked her with his finger, startling her and getting her to rush to her own seat beside Toby. She was giving him strange, mixed looks as Snape continued on with his speech of, "—if you aren't as big a bunch of dunderheads as I usually have to teach."

Snape went on to pointing at the class instructions, telling them to get on with it already. Toby internally grumbled, fishing around with book bag to bring out a cauldron (oh how he loved magic). The girl beside him – a Weasley? – did the same, although she was sufficiently distracted because she kept sneaking glances at him. If Sarah were here, she would've undoubtedly started teasing him, remarking, "Girls are crushing on you already? Wow, Toby, you sure move fast." (Hey, it wasn't his fault a lot of the girls in his old school strangely started crushing on him... right?)

Clunking his cauldron clumsily over the fire, Toby poured the basic potion into the cauldron, checking the instructions and waiting patiently until it heated red in colour. While waiting, Toby fished out his potions book and flipped to the section on Boil-Cure potions. Quickly, his eyes skimmed over the instructions, looking up periodically to make sure his potion turned red. Beside him the Weasley was just staring blankly at the potion in her cauldron, as if was enchanted water that would show her anything she wished to see.

Seeing his potion turn a nice red, Toby quickly took it off the fire for a few minutes, before putting it back on. He was satisfied when it started to turn green, fishing around in his book bag for the bottle of Flobberworm Mucus he bought from Diagon Alley. Still waiting for his potion to turn fully green, Toby took another peek at the girl beside him who was still staring blankly into the cauldron. Her potion had already turned a bright red, and the edges of it were bubbling slightly. Seeing Professor Snape at the back of the classroom, snarling harshly at a red-and-gold student, Toby nudged the Weasley with his elbow.

"Pay attention," he hissed, jolting her out of her thoughts. She flushed a bright red, fumbling around and lifting her cauldron away from the fire. While she was waiting for it to cool, Toby's potion had already turned a nice forest green, and he popped the cork on his bottle of Flobberworm Mucus, slowly adding it to the potion and watching as the colour change drastically from green to pink. It was during Toby's pouring that Snape had finished yelling at a student, reaching the front of the class and peering into his cauldron with a sneer.

"_What_ is _that_?" he grated out, and Toby stared defiantly up at him.

"The assignment, _Professor_," Toby answered, gritting his teeth. Snape snorted, waving his wand over the cauldron and vanishing the half-complete potion in it.

"Making a potion that will explode in your face is _not_ what I assigned, _Williams_," Snape drawled, turning sharply and walking back to the front of the room, his black robes billowing around him again. "Five points from Slytherin. Now do it again."

Gritting his teeth, Toby popped a cork on another bottle of starter potion, dumping it unceremoniously into the cauldron. He didn't notice all the shocked looks sent his way as he waited for his potion to turn red, too busy with staring angrily at the swirling liquid. Toby certainly didn't notice the girl beside him with the puzzled, surprised expression on her face.

...

...

...

Ginny was really, _really_ confused. She exited the potions classroom in the dungeons, huddling together with Colin Creevey who was tittering off excitedly about Harry Potter and the picture he captured in the Great Hall this morning. Usually, Ginny would be listening raptly to him, begging to see one of the pictures or even offering to buy it, but she was quite preoccupied at this point. Her mind was filled with thoughts of the strange new Slytherin in her year (something Williams?). He was the enigma of enigmas, a Slytherin with Gryffindor qualities. And more than that, a Slytherin that Snape (Snape!) despised.

Ginny turned back, looking at the classroom doors and almost expecting the strange Slytherin to barrel out, eyes hard with fury. Professor Snape had ordered the muggleborn to stay after class and finish his potion, probably as punishment in the form of missing the first half of lunch. A part of her pitied him, because he _was_ being unfairly punished, but another part revolted at the thought of sympathizing with a house member of green and silver.

Sighing, Ginny turned forward again and tried to pay attention to Colin's ramblings about the Boy-Who-Lived, even though she found out it was quite useless after they reached the doors to the Great Hall. Her mind just wasn't on her childhood crush, at this point. Maybe tomorrow she would be able to put up with Colin's enthusiasm, but today she was just mighty tired.

"You know what, Colin?" Ginny interrupted him, "I'm feeling a bit knackered. Sorry, but I'm just going to go back to the tower." She didn't even wait for him to reply before turning around and dashing off, weaving through straggles of students heading to lunch. She played around with the moving staircase for a bit, before making her way back to the empty Gryffindor common room and collapsing on the couch, sighing heavily. Ginny lay there for a long while, her eyes shut but sleep not coming to her. Groaning a bit, the Gryffindor roused when the tell-tale grumble of her stomach nagged at her painfully, and she regretfully accepted her entirely human need for food.

Grabbing her bag, Ginny trudged her way down the castle, wondering for the first (but not last) time why the Gryffindors had to room in the tower at the very tops of the castle, when the Great Hall (and its food) was all the way on the ground floor. Those thoughts stayed with her, manifesting in slight grumbles as she reached the third floor, striding quickly through the hallways to get past it.

In the throes of one particularly vengeful rant, Ginny's breath hitched when she turned the corner to the entrance of the Hospital Wing, catching sight of a familiar blend of blonde, silver, and green standing in front of the entrance. It was that Williams boy from her potions class, looking rather curious as he peeked into the infirmary. Ginny quickly ducked behind a statue, her brown eyes tracking him carefully when his blue eyes (a mixture of sapphire and ice) began to widen, his mouth dropping open.

"_What_ the _hell_?!" the Slytherin exclaimed suddenly, making Ginny jump a bit. He disappeared into the Hospital Wing, slamming the door loudly on his way in. He looked incredibly angry, and Ginny (with her insatiable curiosity) wondered why. So, after checking the hallway was empty, she crept up to the door and peered in, heart hammering in her chest.

From the sliver in the door Ginny was looking in, she could see a woman standing with her arms crossed over her chest, cheeks pink but trying to look stern. Ginny recognized her from the Welcoming Feast; Headmaster Dumbledore had introduced her as the new muggle Assistant Gamekeeper. What was her name…? Lilliams… Molliums… Millions?

"It's nothing you need to worry about Toby; just a few scratches," she said, miffed. "Go eat your lunch, you have class soon."

"But Sarah—"

"I said _go_, Toby. I have some things I need to talk to the Headmaster about, so move along." Ginny could see some grumbling from someone, and promptly leapt back to avoid the door slamming open as Toby, the blonde Slytherin from potions class, walked through. He shot her a mild glance, but basically ignored her existence in his frustration as he stomped down the hall.

"Shall we reconvene to my office, Ms. Williams to continue our discussion?" Ginny heard the headmaster asked, and squeaked a bit when she remembered the older woman's last name. Was it just a coincidence she had the same last name as that Toby guy? Ginny didn't think a Gyffindor and a Slytherin could ever be siblings, given the rivalry between the two houses.

The Weasley looked up, startled when she saw the two adults leave the Hospital Wing (why they were there in the first place, she still didn't know). The older Williams caught sight of Ginny, smiling kindly at her. "Good afternoon," she greeted, nodding her head before turning to follow Dumbledore to the Moving Staircase. Ginny wasn't given any time to respond, other than drop her jaw at the greeting. (_Totally_ not Slytherin.)

"Excuse me! Um, Ms. Williams?" Ginny spoke up, jogging up a bit to catch up to them, heart hammering in her chest again as she wondered if this was too forward of her to ask. The woman (Sarah, right?) turned to her inquisitive tone, genuine curiosity in her gaze as she looked down to the redhead. Ginny gulped, her throat suddenly dry as she asked, "That boy that ran out… was he your brother?"

Sarah seemed to be surprised at the question, a smile spreading over her lips as she chuckled. "Yeah, that was him," she replied with mirth in her tone, as if chuckling at an inside joke. "Don't worry about his crankiness; he's actually a real softie at heart." Grinning at her explanation of her younger brother, Sarah promptly said she'd see Ginny later and continued following the headmaster (whose eyes were twinkling rather brightly) back to his office.

Ginny watched them go, teeth gnawing on her lower lip before her stomach growled again and she set off to the Great Hall, her mind buzzing with even more questions about the supposed almost-Gryffindor Toby Williams.

...

...

...

"Lemon drop?"

Sarah sighed, slightly exasperated as she sat gingerly on the chair in front of the Headmaster's desk. She politely declined, watching him shrug and pop the confectionary into his own mouth. He rolled the candy around a few times, remaining silent, until Sarah got impatient with his stalling. "So, can you please explain this to me in more detail, now that we won't be interrupted?" she asked, and Dumbledore hummed, reaching up to stroke his beard.

"Well, Ms. Williams, Poppy has discovered something very fascinating yesterday night, when you went to her to see to your injuries," he said, rising from his chair. "I would like to conduct a test of my own, so to speak, and it will only take a moment, so if you would just stand up for me?" There was a kind twinkled in his eyes, and Sarah shrugged and stood up, a little uncomfortable.

"And after you conduct these… tests… you'll tell me what's going on?" At the Headmaster's nod, Sarah took a deep breath and gestured for him to begin.

Dumbledore began with a series of rapidly fired spells, all the incantations silent or spoken so softly under his breath that Sarah couldn't hear them. Each one (flashes of silver, yellow, red, orange) repeatedly slammed her directly in the chest, making her stumble from their force. But she was still standing, rather befuddled in the centre of the Headmaster's office; even when Dumbledore rose his wand one last time and bellowed, "_REDUCTO_!!" the spell simply hit its intended target and disappeared.

Lowering his wand, Dumbledore looked rightly stunned at the muggle woman standing in one piece in front of him. Her eyebrows were furrowed when the Headmaster trotted over to his desk, sinking onto it with no amount of bewilderment. Fawkes, his phoenix, had even flown over to perch on Sarah's shoulder, staring curiously down at her chest where the Reducter spell hit.

"Amazing," he breathed, before leaping up and opening a drawer in his desk, grabbing a quill in it, handing it to her and looking very much like Toby on Christmas mornings. He took another quill and scribbled something on a parchment, before sliding it towards her. "Please, answer this question." Blinking at him, Sarah fumbled a bit with getting a good grip on the quill (she was used to pens, not quills), peering down at the question.

_Where would you find a bezoar stone?_

"What's a bezoar—" Sarah started to ask, but Dumbledore just gestured for her to answer the question. A little more annoyed now, Sarah bent over the desk and was prepared to write, "I don't know", until her quill suddenly had a mind of its own and scribbled its own answer on the parchment.

_Bezoars are found in the stomach of a goat._

Dumbledore's face almost burst with excitement, clapping his hands in glee as Sarah stared weirdly at him, dropping the quill on his desk. "Okay, I've done your tests, Headmaster. Now what is this about?"

"Oh, yes of course," he replied, sitting down and gesturing for her to do the same. A large smile was still on his face, making Sarah grin a bit as well at his excitement. "Well, Ms. Williams, to be very frank with you as I'm sure you're getting impatient," at this, Sarah chuckled, "Poppy and I have discovered that you are… a very strange muggle."

Sarah raised an eyebrow. Dumbledore grinned.

"Those tests I was conducting; what do you believe I was trying to accomplish, Ms. Williams?" he asked, and Sarah thought for a bit. She remembered the feeling of each of those spells hitting her; felt the impact, but aside that it was like nothing ever happened. Sarah was pretty sure the Headmaster was trying to get her to react to one of the spells, but it seemed doubtful when she looked back upon it and noticed the lack of reaction.

"I'm… not sure," she answered honestly. "I mean, you were casting spells at me and they were _hitting_ me, but…"

"They weren't doing anything?" Dumbledore finished, folding his fingers together as they rested on his desk. "Yes, you are correct Ms. Williams. It appears that you are… _immune_ to magic."

Sarah perked up. "Immune?" she repeated, and Dumbledore nodded to assure her.

"Yes; immune." He hummed a bit, stroking his beard. "I had entertained, for a small moment, the idea that you would be a squib – that is to say, a person born from magical parents but who holds no magic themselves. But that is quite impossible, as your parents are both very much non-magical. It's a very peculiar situation, as I have never met any human – wizard or muggle alike – who can be impervious to magic. And yet, here I am casually conversing with one such being." He chuckled a bit, and Sarah gnawed on her bottom lip.

"Immune to magic… but, didn't that potion heal my cuts?" she asked, and the Headmaster nodded.

"Yes, yes it did. I have concluded that although magic will not work _directly_ on your person, you are completely vulnerable to existing magic that makes contact to you through other means." Dumbledore picked up the quill, smiling. "Such as an Auto-Answer quill."

Sarah blinked, taking the quill gently and observing it from her seat. "So…" she started quietly, her voice rising. "What are we going to do about this?" she asked. Dumbledore thought for another moment or two, tapping his chin.

"I do believe it would be best to withhold this information," he answered honestly, blue eyes turning grave as they flickered to lock with Sarah's brown ones. "I shudder to think of the more… _invasive_ experiments the Ministry will undergo to discover the secrets of your immunity." (In other words, how is this common _muggle_ impervious to magic, and how can we torture her to stop it and make sure it never springs up in another muggle?)

"R-right," Sarah agreed, her eyes widening as they looked down at her hands clutched in her lap. "So… so how do I explain…?" she trailed off, peeking up at Dumbledore through her long curtain of brown hair.

"Just say that you are wearing dragon skin under your clothing," he informed her gently, smiling comfortingly at her. Sarah nodded, getting up on somewhat shaky knees as she gestured to the door.

"Could I…?"

"Of course." Dumbledore replied, watching her walk slowly to the entrance to his office. Before she left, though, he said, "Ms. Williams, please do spend the day in the infirmary. Poppy would like to check over your wounds." At Sarah's curt nod, the door shut and Dumbledore settled in his chair, sighing and looking over at Fawkes (who had perched onto his stand once more).

A grin lightened up his face, prompting the phoenix to trill happily.

"Curiouser and curiouser," he murmured, thinking to the Williams family that was quite normal, yet completely bizarre.

...

...

...

Toby joined up with Luna outside the Great Hall, his mouth stuffed with bread rolls as he shouldered his book bag. The Ravenclaw was wearing a pair of bright, bi-coloured spectacles with angel wings sticking out the sides, peering around as her glasses caught light. Toby stopped at the sight of her, jaw pausing in his mid-chew and now somewhat wary of the strange girl as he approached her.

"What are those?" he asked, swallowing his mouthful as Luna turned to him, directing her gaze to the floor where Sqeek was nibbling on a piece of bread and Sneek and Skuell were fighting over another. Maelicious seemed perfectly content not eating anything, though Toby supposed it was because he had already swallowed an entire plateful of some pug-face girl's food (plate included).

Luna knelt down, reaching out to pat Sqeek on the head and smile wistfully, pulling her strange glasses off and hanging them in a pocket in her robes. "The goblins are much easier to see wearing my Spectrespecs," she answered, setting off towards the Defense classroom as Toby trailed alongside her. "They're not really done yet; my daddy is still working on them."

Toby nodded absentmindedly, not really sure how to respond to that as they neared the doors of the DADA classroom. As they entered the classroom, Toby caught sight of a large purple blob at the front of the room, which he promptly realized (with stifled laughter) that it was the Defense teacher.

"Oh my," Luna murmured to herself, eyes glazed and glassy as they always were. "There are quite a few Mouse Ear pixies hovering around the professors head." She paused here, tilting her head to look at them closer. Toby blinked, following her gaze to the air above the man's head and spotting the dozen or so pixies hovering above him, snarling nastily and trying to tug at his curled hair. Looking around to the rest of the students, Toby figured they couldn't see the tiny things and came to the realization that Luna could, in fact, see creatures from the Underground. Because that's where the pixies came from.

"C'mon," he muttered, taking her arm and dragging her to a chair beside his. A few of his fellow Slytherin's were surprised, sneering at Luna and him. The other Ravenclaws reacted much the same, except they seemed to be more shocked that someone like Luna even had a friend. Toby glared at them, and they hurriedly turned away, shuffling into seats on the other side of the classroom.

"Welcome, welcome!" the professor began, waving his arms out in an overly grand fashion. Toby immediately didn't like him, and the obnoxious smile on his face that made him look like a retarded Cheshire Cat. "My name is, as you all know, Gilderoy Lockhart, but you must call me Professor Lockhart." All of the girls in the class seemed to swoon at him, (even the Slytherins) except for Luna, who merely turned her head to the side to catch sight of Toby's goblins sneaking up the sides of the classroom. They were giggling in their huddled group, eyeing the professor with no amount of mischievousness in their gaze.

"Professor," Luna said, her hand shooting up in the air. Lockhart turned to her, annoyance briefly flashing over his eyes but the emotion quickly being replaced with an overly happy smile.

"Yes, my dear?" he asked. She didn't seem to sense the obvious glares being thrown her way from some of her fellow girl classmates.

"Have you ever obliviated someone?" Luna asked with quite a frank tone, making Lockhart jolt a little in shock. He had obviously not seen that question coming, but Toby noted that it made him extremely nervous.

"Of – of course not, dear!" he answered, his voice higher than normal. "I assure you all of my brave exploits and battles with dark beings were all done by me." He was fidgeting by the end of his short explanation, eyes darting to all the other students in the room, smile growing wider and wider. Toby smirked a bit, raising his hand. "Yes?"

"Professor," Toby drawled, saying it like he didn't really think Lockhart was worthy of the title, "Luna never said anything about your _brave exploits_. She just asked whether or not you've ever obliviated someone." His voice was innocent enough, but everyone in the room could tell that he was anything but. There was a gleam in his eye that unnerved Lockhart, who tried clearing his throat authoritatively.

"I don't believe this is relevant to the lesson," he said, darting to his desk and shuffling around for some papers. "Now I have a little quiz for all of you, just to see if you've read any of my books." The papers were passed out the old-fashioned way (or rather, the _muggle_ way) before Lockhart chimed, "Begin!"

Toby sighed a bit at the news of a pop quiz, before reading (and then re-reading) the first question on the three page quiz, and bursting out in raucous laughter.

"Is there a problem… ah?" Lockhart, who was somewhat flustered before, now looked rather miffed at the sight of a first year falling over himself in laughter not two seconds into the pop quiz.

"This… _this_…!" Toby tried, only to fail miserably at trying to explain himself. Lockhart was quickly growing angry at the blatant disrespect from a student, his cheeks turning red as he advanced upon the young Williams boy.

"If you would stop your disruption of this important test—" he began, only to be cut off when Toby's stifled snickers turned into full-blown, gasping laughs again. Luna was watching him with an odd sense of detachment, before turning her wide blue eyes up at Lockhart.

"I do believe Toby is trying to say that many of these questions are quite pointless for us to know," she replied. Toby's laughter died down, eyes watering from the strain of it as he grinned devilishly up at Lockhart.

"I do believe I'm trying to say that this test is not only pointless, but _stupid_." Several gasps rang out through the classroom, all from the girls. Lockhart was turned an even angrier shade of red, hands clenched at his side. "I mean really, 'What is my favourite _colour_'? Where in the seven pits of hell are we going to need to know _that_ when we're neck-to-neck with a werewolf?"

"Twenty points from Slytherin!" Lockhart exclaimed, causing some of the Slytherin's to groan. Toby just smirked, not caring how many points he lost to this sad excuse for a teacher. "And a detention with me tonight!" he added when that didn't seem to affect the young Williams. (Who, by the way, shrugged again at the mention of a detention, the smirk still remaining on his lips.)

"Okay sure. A detention with you can't be that bad. What're you gonna do, make me answer all your fanmail?" At Lockhart's sputtering, Toby deduced that was exactly what he had been planning to make Toby do. Which prompted the prankster to grin wildly and think of all the fun things he could write to Lockhart's die-hard fans in Lockhart's name. But Lockhart seemed to catch on to his little scheme, and quickly retracted the assigned detention, prompting Toby to pout at the disappearance of his fun.

"Just do the quiz, yes?" Lockhart commanded, striding up to the front of the class. "Given this is your first year in a Defense class, we will do some practical work tomorrow," he added, not noticing when Luna's eyes traveled to the cage of Cornish Pixies on his desk. Sqeek, Sneek, Skuell, and Maelicious were already there, Skuell being used as a foundation for Sqeek and then Sneek to climb on top of him, reaching for the latch on the cage. Luna could hear Toby's whispered murmuring encouraging them, until Lockhart tripped Skuell, sending them all tumbling to the floor. Sqeek was able to grab the latch though, but the tripping caused him to only be able to send the cage crashing to the floor, the Cornish Pixies screaming angrily in it as they were jostled around.

"So close," Toby muttered quietly under his breath, making Luna smile slightly as she ducked her head down and started answering the quiz with her strange sayings. She didn't notice the vengeful gleam in Toby's eyes as he watched Lockhart stumble about the room, pulling his hand back when one of the blue pixies bit it in revenge. His goblins made it back to him, Sqeek climbing on his lap and apologizing for messing up the prank.

"No worries, guys," he told them, making sure his voice was soft enough that no one but Luna heard him. "Just leave it to the master."

...

...

...

Sarah groaned a bit as she slowed to a stop, wiping the sweat from her forehead and wincing at the slight soreness in her back. The Cornish pixie was glumly getting flying back to her, climbing into the opening of the cage. "Thank you," she said to it, latching it closed and trudging over to Hagrid, who stood by his hut and smiled widely as she came near.

"Thank yeh Sarah!" he exclaimed, gently taking the cage of pixies from her. "I'll set'em back inter der forest now. You go'n rest, y'hear? Heard them inj'ries still ain't all healed up." Sarah nodded, smiling thankfully at him as he turned and walked away. He was, at first, against letting her help him gather up the loose pixies from (who else?) Lockhart's botched class. The gamekeeper soon changed his mind when Sarah started gently coaxing one of the Cornish pixies to her, surprised when the little things actually listened to her. As a result, Sarah persuaded him to let her help on the idea that it would go faster with her help, and it wasn't so strenuous on her back.

Stretching and wincing again at her sore back, Sarah scratched her head absentmindedly and turned around, blinking in surprise when she saw Hermione and her friends waving enthusiastically to her.

"Hey Hermione, Harry, Ron," Sarah greeted as they neared. Each of them looked rather nervous, and slightly guilty. All of them were silent, until Hermione stepped up with a rather determined look, discreetly pinching them both in the arms.

"Hello professor," the bookworm greeted, and Sarah sighed, not bothering to correct her.

"What can I do for the three of you?" she asked, stuffing her hands in her pockets. (She had forgone the traditional witch's robes in favour of her muggle clothing, because honestly a gamekeeper can't work with all that loose fabric getting in the way!) Harry stepped up when Hermione turned to shoot him a scathing glare, and he rubbed his sweaty hands and cleared his throat.

"We, um… we wanted to thank you for yesterday; when you saved us from the Whomping Willow." Sarah was mildly surprised at that, turning to Ron when Hermione tugged him forcefully forward.

"Yeah, ah, thanks," he muttered, ears burning. Hermione rolled her eyes exasperatedly at him, muttering something about useless boys under her breath before clearing her own throat in a rather confident manner.

"We noticed that we never thanked you yesterday, for saving Harry and Ron from the Whomping Willow. We're sorry that you injured yourself in the process, and hope that we can make it up to you somehow." That seemed to make Hermione happy, and she smiled shyly up at Sarah, who was still somewhat bewildered that the young kids had the bravery to apologize for their mistakes. (That was something she rarely got from Toby, the stubborn little bastard.)

"Really, there's no need to thank me. I was only doing what any decent person would do." She grinned then, pushing a strand of her brown locks behind her ear. "But I'm grateful that you came here to tell me that; so thank you." That being said, Sarah winced as her back throbbed painfully, and she saw a little Cornish pixie flying to her. "Why, hello," the woman greeted to the magical creature, lifting her hand to let the pixie rest on it.

"Hey," Ron piped up, pointing at the blue creature, "that's a pixie from Lockhart's class."

"_Professor_ Lockhart!" Hermione corrected, blushing faintly. "And yes, Ron, it is. I'm sure Professor Lockhart simply missed catching one of them. Quite of a few of them escaped, you know," she stated matter-of-factly, trying to cover for Lockhart's blunder. Ron snorted, and Harry looked like he wanted to roll his eyes, but it was Sarah's narrowed eyes that drew the most concern from Hermione.

"I don't know what that _man_ is telling everyone," Sarah said scathingly, "but he is most certainly not catching any of the pixies. If anything, he's scaring them off and making _my_ job, which is to actually catch them, much harder." Sighing, Sarah gently led the pixie to the edge of the Forbidden Forest, letting it flutter away to where it sensed its brethren were. Hermione was quite shocked at the news, looking very troubled at the thought of her idol not acting quite so… idol-y.

"What do you mean _your job_?"

Jolting a little, Sarah turned around to see her brother, Toby, standing angrily behind the Gryffindor trio. His blue eyes were narrowed, arms crossed. Faintly, Sarah heard Ron exclaimed, "Slytherin!" but was too busy kicking herself mentally in the head.

"Toby, my job is an Assistant Gamekeeper. That means I need to make sure the grounds of Hogwarts is in proper order, which includes catching a bunch of pixies wreaking havoc on it," she said, raising an eyebrow as if to challenge him to talk back. Thing with Toby was, he usually took the bait.

"And what about those cuts on your back?" he fired at her, stepping forward and causing the trio to part for him. If it had been any other time, Ron and Harry probably would've tried rising to Sarah's defense, but they were too shocked at the thought of a Slytherin already knowing about Sarah's injuries (which _they_ caused). "Why aren't you in the Hospital Wing?"

"Toby, I'm fine," Sarah replied, kneeling down to grab his shoulders. "I can barely feel them anymore."

"Liar," Toby whispered. Sarah winced a bit, knowing he only spoke the truth.

"Okay well, either way I can deal with the pain. No biggie, _really_." Sarah smiled a bit, unable to stay frustrated with him when she knew he was only worried about her. Toby pouted a bit, shrugging.

"Fine, whatever," he answered, before noticing that there were three other people with them. He observed them all coolly, despite knowing they were probably older than him. There was a moment when Toby met Harry's eyes, and the two of them just stared at each other. "Are you bugging my sister?" he asked finally, causing the trio's mouths to drop open in surprise, and Sarah to chuckle.

"No, they're not bugging me Toby," she replied for them, the laughter in her voice evident. "Now don't you have detention or something or other?" she asked, a slight sternness coming into her voice that reminded Toby she was not amused at his getting detention on the first day of term. Toby rolled his eyes, shrugging again at the mention of it.

"Doesn't start until after dinner," he told her, rubbing the back of his head. "I would skive off, but Snape'll probably come pounding on my dorm room, being Head of Slyth and all." At the mention of a Slytherin student having detention with the Slytherin Head (namely, the utterly biased Snape), the trio's mouths dropped open again, catching Toby's attention and making him stare strangely at them. "What?" he asked harshly when they didn't stop staring.

"_Snape_ gave you a detention? You. A _Slytherin_," Ron asked, pointing at him quite rudely. Hermione was in much to shock to correct his rudeness, and Harry rather didn't care much for manners around Slytherins.

"Yeah," Toby shrugged, scowling. "For absolutely no reason except being five minutes late. _And_ he took my twenty points away from me! How is that fair?!" the boy ranted, throwing his arms up in the air. Sarah just grinned.

"Say hello to life, Toby," she told him. Toby pouted.

"Life sucks." With that, Toby spun around and stalked off as soon as he realized his sister was _obviously_ not going to help him. Sarah just sighed and shook her head, watching him go, oblivious to the continually stunned fellow Gryffindors beside her.

...

...

...

Lee Jordan was not easily scared of anything. Not Professor McGonagall, whom he constantly ticked off at every quidditch match (and sometimes during class), or even of Professor Snape, who picked on him during potions. Lee wasn't scared of spiders, or heights, or the dark. He laughed at grotesque figures that jumped out at him, and scoffed at the mentions of Azkaban.

No, Lee Jordan was not scared of most things. That's not to say he never got scared at all, though. He was certainly scared of any mention of You-Know-Who, and dementors sent chills up his spine. Lee was also reasonably scared of his mother and his father, because they were just simply his mother and father. But there was one thing that scared Lee the most; more than his parents, more than dementors, and _way_ more than He-who-must-not-be-named. Of course, Lee wouldn't really want to admit who terrified the willies out of him, because who honestly wants to admit that his own best friends are his worst fear?

Yep. Lee Jordan was _terrified_ of Fred and George Weasley. (Especially when they were grinning like _that_.)

"So, Lee my dear old friend," Fred started, slinging his arm around the Jordan's shoulders. "What, pray tell, are you doing this afternoon?"

"Why…?" Lee asked a little unsurely, recognizing the devilish grin on the Weasley twins faces and wondering why a feeling of dread came creeping into his gut. "Who are you guys thinking of pranking now?"

"Pranking?" George gasped, as if wounded with an arrow shot directly into his heart. "Who ever said anything about pranking? Gred, did _you_ hear anything about pranking?"

"Why, no Forge, I didn't. I was merely insinuating that we pay a nice visit to our dear Defense teacher." The innocent grins on Fred and George's faces didn't deter Lee though, because he honestly knew the two were anything _but_ innocent. (Lee swore that sometimes he thought green and silver would look particularly fitting on them…)

"Well, whatever you two decide to do this afternoon," Lee began, glaring at the two of them. "I will have no part in it. I rather like my head where it is, thank you very much." It was no secret that the girls of Hogwarts were rather smitten with the new Defense teacher, and Lee bet his hat that if anything befell the "oh-so-_charming_ Professor Lockhart", they would go rather bananas searching for the culprit (or culprits). And it was quite obvious who said culprits would be, given the Weasley twins were rather notorious for their ingenious pranks.

"We rather like our heads where they are too," the two intoned simultaneously, still grinning those damned devilish grins. Lee rolled his eyes, knowing they were subtly telling him they would never get caught, but the boy would rather not risk it. (Girls are _scary_. And mad. And usually nice to look at. But mostly _scary_.)

Fred and George watched him head back to the Gryffindor Tower, shaking their heads sadly. "Well Gred, looks like it's just you and me." The other twin nodded his head, agreeing.

"Pity. Lee was such a wonderful partner-in-crime until Angelina got a hold of him." The two sighed in unison, remembering that fateful day last year when the female Gryffindor tore their friend a new one after he ruined her date in Hogsmeade. Of course, Angelina still didn't know it was actually carefully orchestrated by Fred and George behind the scenes, because it was a well-known fact that last year Lee was harbouring something of a little crush on her. (The crush is gone now, of course. It decided to flee the minute Angelina bared her teeth and _snarled_ at him.)

Giggling somewhat insanely, Fred and George pranced along the corridors, peeking around corners to look for their _esteemed_ Defense professor. They would've used the map, but the old-fashioned way was just as fun.

Peering around another corner, the two redheads halted as soon as they saw Lockhart whistling a jaunty tune, strutting through the Hogwarts hallway as though he was emperor of it. The twins snickered quietly to themselves, Fred taking out his wand to fire a hex at the daft man. But George stopped him suddenly, spotting a flash of blonde hidden behind a pillar.

"Who's that?" George asked, Fred lowering his wand and squinting in the same direction.

"Looks like that Malfoy brat," Fred supplied helpfully, grinning when he realized they had two victims to play with. But George stopped him from firing a hex again, eyebrows furrowed in thought.

"I don't think so. Don't those two lugs usually follow the Malfoy around?" Fred shrugged, and George blinked when he saw the golden wand gripped in the Slytherin's hand. "What's he doing?" George murmured, echoing his brother's thoughts. The kid jabbed his wand at Lockhart's back, and there was a flash of something (crystal?) that shot out of the tip of the wand, striking the Defense teacher in the back of the head. The kid nodded, seemingly satisfied before stepping out. He turned his head, catching sight of Fred and George. Surprisingly, his face (already fairly happy) brightened with elation at the sight of the two of them, motioning them closer with his hands. Fred and George looked at each other, hesitating for the briefest second (because c'mon, he was a Slytherin!) before shrugging and sneaking up to the kid.

"Hey, mind if I ask a favour?" the kid asked, and Fred and George were now positive it wasn't Malfoy. For one, he never sneered at them once, despite seeing their red and gold house colours, and two, his accent was undeniably American.

"We would be—"

"—happy to help," they both replied, and the kid's head seemed to swivel between them, a little puzzled but otherwise ignoring the strange twin thing they had going on.

"See the Defense teacher?" he asked, whispering and pointing to the end of the hallway. The two Gryffindors nodded, and a devilish smirk curved across the kid's mouth. "Go ask him a question. Something like, 'did you really give a Yeti a headcold?' I really don't care, just so long as it's from one of his books."

Fred and George looked at each other, fairly confused, but shrugged and leapt up the hall to catch Lockhart. The Slytherin kid had taken refuge hiding behind a pillar again, peeking out only so slightly that he would be able to see the events.

"Professor Lockhart!" the two redheads exclaimed, stopping in front of the former Ravenclaw. He was wearing his Witch Weekly smile, dressed in his flamboyant robes as he looked down at them with what seemed like a friendly (but was really a very constipated) expression.

"Yes, my dear boys?" he asked, trying to sound fatherly. The Weasley's ignored him, going ahead with the example question the Slytherin kid gave them.

"Did you really—"

"—give a Yeti a headcold?" they asked, and Lockhart was a little surprised at their twin communication, but smiled toothily when he heard the question.

"Oh, I most certainly did!" he boasted, opening his mouth to continue on until all three of them (well, _four_ of them) noticed the sudden inch or so that stretched Lockhart's nose outwards.

"W-what—" Lockhart began, reaching up to feel his longer nose as Fred and George stared rather bewildered at the expanding body part. "Well, this is a very rude trick boys," Lockhart said, glaring down at them as they started grinning insanely at his longer nose. "Luckily for you I know how to fix this—" he started again, only for his nose to grow another inch. Fred and George laughed heartily when he started stuttering, trying in vain to push his nose back into a proper size. "Twenty points from Gryffindor!" he exclaimed, voice pitched high as he tried using his robes to cover the offending body part. Fred and George laughed harder, sending the Defense teacher running for the hills (i.e. his bedroom) as they collapsed on the floor in tears.

"What the bloody hell did you do to him?" Fred asked as the Slytherin kid came out of the pillar, grinning like an idiot.

"Ever heard of that story about the puppet named Pinocchio?" he asked, settling himself down beside them in the empty hallway. The two Gryffindors shook their heads, still trying to stifle their laughter. The kid's smiled widened, almost touching from ear to ear as he said, "Pinocchio's nose grew whenever he told a lie."

There was a moment of silence between the three of them. Fred and George just looked dumbly at the Slytherin kid, before their heads swivelled in unison to stare at the direction where Lockhart had run off in. Then, their heads turned to look back at the kid, who was still wearing the wide smile and trying not to burst into laughter.

For a moment, Fred and George wanted to ask the kid how he could've pulled off something like that when he was so young. (Charming a body part wasn't exactly a piece of cake, y'know.) They wanted to ask him dozens of other questions too, like why he was so cool for a Slytherin, and why he never became a Gryffindor when they suddenly remembered why he looked so familiar.

_Sorting Hat… the almost-Gryffindor Slytherin… Williams, Tobias._

Fred's face split into a wide grin, and George reached out to clap Tobias Williams on the back as the three of them finally couldn't hold it in and dissolved into thunderous laughter in the middle of the empty hallway.

...

...

...

Toby couldn't fight to keep the grin off his face, not that he wanted it to go away. He had introduced himself to Fred and George Weasley, who had in turn praised him for his brilliant prank and told him he was, "all right for a Slytherin".

If someone had told Toby that earlier in the day (like in the morning), he would've been inclined to slug the person. But as the day progressed, Toby noticed the striking number of hostility between the Slytherin's and the Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs (more the former than the latter, of course). There was one particular group of Slytherins (a year above him, Toby guessed) who had gone around harassing all the other students. Toby had made sure to make a note of them all, figuring he'd deal with them later.

Sighing a bit as his first day started to come to an end, Toby rounded the corner of the hallway, having gone the opposite direction of his two new friends. They had wanted to see how long the nose would grow before it stopped, and pranced away in search of the Defense teacher (most likely holed up in his room or the infirmary, wondering what was happening to him). Toby bit his lip as another set of laughter bubbled up inside of him, but it promptly disappeared when he rounded the corner.

"What's the matter, _Loony_? Not so tough now that your evil Slytherin friend is gone, huh?"

Toby quickly ducked to hide behind the corner, peering out to see two Ravenclaws cornering his friend, Luna. She didn't seem particularly fazed by their comments, eyes still wide and glassy as she stared at the two of them.

"Toby isn't evil," Luna replied breezily, a little smile quirking her lips up. "He's just clever. And yes, yes he is my friend." Her smile seemed to widen at that, eyes becoming less glassy as if she had come into consciousness and realized the true weight of her words. "He's my very good friend."

"He's a _Slytherin_," the other Ravenclaw spat with disgust. "Everyone says all Slytherins are evil. They'll all end up as Dark Lords, or followers of Dark Lords. So if you're his friend, then you must be his evil follower!" The two Ravenclaws nodded in agreement, glaring down at Luna.

"Oh, well I don't think I'm evil," she replied, her eyes going glassy again. "I don't think Toby is evil either. Wherever did you get the idea that all Slytherins are evil? That seems a little silly." Luna's eyes flickered away as she started humming, probably catching sight of the nargles she had been talking about all day.

"Silly?" one of the Ravenclaws snorted. "Look who's talking, _Loony_ Lovegood!" The girl's hand shot out, shoving Luna in the shoulder and forcing her to stumble back. Toby's eyes saw red, not even noticing when his goblins yelped angrily under him. The Williams strode out into the hallway, intent on giving those girls a lesson or two about messing with his friends.

Someone beat him to it, though. A mane of long, vibrant red hair shot past him, her wand flicked out as she pointed it at the two bullies.

"Hey!" she exclaimed, eyes narrowed in distaste as she stared at the two of them. "You Slytherins, get away from her!" The Ravenclaw girls looked confused as they turned to see the Weasley with her wand pointed at them, wondering why the Gryffindor mistook them for Slytherins when they were wearing blue and bronze, not green and silver. The young Weasley's lips suddenly twisted in a sardonic smirk, though, as she gave them an obvious once-over. "Oh, my mistake Ravenclaws," she said venomously sweet. "I thought you were Malfoy and his mini Death Eaters, picking on the weak."

Toby noticed with much satisfaction how the two of them flinched, as if struck by lightning.

"Bat-bogey!" the Weasley shouted, and Toby grinned in fulfilled revenge when the bogeys of the Ravenclaws came out of their noses, growing large and into monster like shapes, chasing them away from the scene. Luna's eyes tracked their movements down the hall, tilting her head curiously at them.

"Wicked," Toby grinned, stepping forward and alerting the Gryffindor girl to his presence. She jumped when she saw him, her brown eyes observing him with no small amount of suspicion. Toby just accepted it, knowing the reputation Slytherin's had and not finding it in himself to blame her. "You have _got_ to teach me that spell," he joked, his boyish grin lighting up his face. Her eyes flickered away from his, only to lock onto Luna's, who was floating towards them.

"Toby, are you evil?" she asked, wide blue eyes staring at him. Toby pretended to think.

"Oh absolutely," Toby replied, nodding his head as another grin split his face in half. "Just ask Sarah."

Luna nodded her head, satisfied with the answer. The redhead looked between the two of them, a little flabbergasted when she blurted out, "Are you two really friends?"

Luna's wide eyes turned to lock onto the redheads, unnerving the girl. She nodded once, a little slowly as if not believing it herself, before she nodded again with a more confident motion. "Yes. Toby is my very nice, very evil friend." Luna paused as she considered her words, turning her head to look at Toby. "Is it possible for a person to be nice and evil at the same time?"

Toby just grinned, shrugging. He then turned to the Weasley, figuring he might as well acquaint himself with the sister of his two new prankster friends. "My name's Toby and this is Luna." His hand was outstretched, and for a long moment the Gryffindor stared at it before her hand came out as well. It was hesitant as it gripped Toby's hand in greeting.

"Ginny Weasley," she replied, nodding her head curtly. Ginny fidgeted a bit, feeling awkward under the scrutiny of the two abnormal set of friends. That scrutiny soon stopped, though, when two tall redheads came barrelling down the hallway, their boisterous laughter being heard a mile away. Ginny recognized the two as her brothers, Gred and Forge – I mean Fred and George.

"Toby!" they exclaimed, gasping and wheezing in laughter, "Toby, you brilliant little bugger!" Toby just grinned devilishly as he let them ruffle his hair and collapse against him, wheezing.

"I suppose you found out the charm doesn't really have much of a limit on it, huh?" Toby asked in amusement, choking a bit when they clapped him on the back a little too hard.

"Mighty fine spellwork for a first year, that's for sure," George praised, still laughing a bit. "Not even a day in Hogwarts and you're already wreaking havoc." Fred wiped a tear from his eye, fake-sniffling.

"They grow up so fast." Toby rolled his eyes, but couldn't keep the smirk off his face.

"I'll have you know I've been pranking since I was in diapers," the Williams boasted. The twins just smiled cheekily, ruffling his hair again.

"And that's why you're almost as brilliant as us," Fred intoned seriously, before the three of them broke into laughter again, passing by Ginny and patting her on the head. "See you later, sis!" Fred exclaimed.

"Don't bat-bogey our apprentice, okay? We need him!" George added as the two of them hobbled off, their bodies still wracked with laughter as they contemplated all the lies they had Lockhart spilling. Ginny watched them go, dumbfounded at the sight of her two older brothers laughing and joking with a Slytherin, calling a Slytherin their _apprentice_! Fred and George _never_ divulged their pranking secrets to _anyone_. Certainly not to someone they considered untrustworthy. And from what people have told her, Slytherins seem to be the most untrustworthy people on the face of the planet… right?

It was all rather confusing to her, and she wished she could just stop thinking about it and get on with her life.

"I've always loved a good book," Luna piped up suddenly when Fred and George's laughter faded into the distance. Toby and Ginny looked at her, puzzled at the sudden topic change. Toby seemed more used to it though, and simply let Luna prattle on. "Although, I don't like all the decorated covers on the books," she admitted, blue eyes gazing into nothingness. "They're so misleading sometimes though. I pick up a good book and think they're going to tell me about Crumple-Horned Snorkacks, because the cover has horns, but the book just talks about all other horned creatures except Crumple-Horned Snorkacks. I've still yet to find a book on them too. It's all very deceiving." She made a sharp nod here, as if to emphasize her point.

Toby grinned a bit, shrugging. "Why don't you just write a book on them, then?" he asked, as they turned to start heading in some random direction. Ginny watched them for a split second, knowing that despite Toby didn't understand what Luna was talking about, Ginny knew exactly what was going through the Ravenclaw's mind.

(_Don't judge a book by its cover._)

Taking a deep breath, Ginny stepped towards the pair walking in a perfectly random direction, her mouth opening to say, "Why don't you check the library? I'm sure they have all sorts of books on magical creatures."

Toby and Luna paused, turning back to look at Ginny who seemed a bit unsure as her brown eyes met their blue ones. Luna's head tilted up to think, and Toby seemed to smile a bit at the suggestion.

"Good idea. Want to come help us look?" he asked, and Ginny smiled shyly, nodding.

For the first time in a long time, Ginny didn't care who was a Slytherin, or a Ravenclaw, or a Gryffindor or Hufflepuff. She didn't think about the rumours floating around the castle, the pre-conceived notions of her fellow Gryffindors, of her mother and father, of her many older brothers. She didn't think of her deep-rooted hatred for the colours green and silver, and didn't care about the feeling of ultimate satisfaction at the colours of red and gold.

Because for the first time in a long time, Ginny had friends.


	7. Through the Mirror

**Of Hogwarts and Inheritances**

**Chapter 6: Through the Mirror  
**

Ginny wasn't sure what to think on the first Saturday of school. An entire week had flashed by, much to Ginny's surprise. It was a week filled with homework, classes, and joking and laughing with Toby and Luna. The young redhead had quickly found her way into the strange set of Ravenclaw and Slytherin, discovering with surprise how easily they all balanced each other out.

Luna was very typically, well, _Luna_. She was odd and weird and overall very insane, with her random exclamations about nonexistent creatures or just totally random exclamations in general. Ginny had found a certain method to her madness, however, after realizing that a lot of what Luna said had some sort of hidden meaning. The Ravenclaw loved using metaphors and figurative sayings, and Ginny had found soon enough that Luna's exclamations had even become endearing to her. Granted, she still couldn't completely figure Luna out, but Ginny doubted anyone would be able to.

Toby, on the other hand, was the total opposite of Luna. He was incredibly rational and logical, but also overpoweringly cunning and devilish. At the same time, though, Toby was strangely open-minded. He seemed to give every one of Luna's odd exclamations some sort of merit, even debating with her sometimes about the strange creatures she brought up. The Slytherin was all about the sarcasm too, his voice drawling as he complained about his life, and especially how hard said life was when his sister worked at the school. Despite becoming friends with him, Ginny was still somewhat suspicious of Toby, of his entirely Slytherin and Gryffindor ways. But she was starting to realize that it wasn't exactly unusual as she watched Fred and George conducting sneaky pranks, and her brother's friend Hermione hunched over the table, scribbling furiously on a piece of parchment. Ginny was starting to realize that houses meant nothing in the grand scheme of things; that you couldn't put people into preconceived packages and expect them to act accordingly.

Sighing a bit, Ginny plopped down onto the bench at the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall, reaching out for a few slices of bacon and some scrambled eggs. Colin was away, clutching his camera excitedly when her brother, Ron, and his friends walked into the Great Hall, sitting down for breakfast. Ginny flushed and ducked her head when The-Boy-Who-Lived turned in her direction, shovelling food in her mouth and feeling her heart beat faster. She sank further into her seat, hoping he wasn't looking at her as her face turned the colour of her vibrant red hair.

"Ginny! Ginny, Ginny, Ginny!" she heard Toby call, and groaned. If Harry Potter wasn't looking at her before, he certainly was now when Toby plopped down in front of her, planting his hands on the table and leaning forwards.

"What are you doing here, Toby?" Ginny asked with a hissed whisper, her brown eyes darting quickly to Harry to see him (not to mention her brother and the bookworm, Hermione) looking curiously at the two of them. Toby had never come over to the Gryffindor table before; he was always content to sit at his own table, or with Luna. In fact, it wasn't unusual to see a Gryffindor wander to the Ravenclaw table for a quick chat, nor was it abnormal for a Slytherin to speak to a Ravenclaw, but for a Slytherin to sit at the Gryffindor table? Totally weird.

Toby grinned leisurely, shrugging. "Luna wanted to sit here today, but she went off to get her Spectrespecs. She claims she saw some brownies in the Entrance Hall," he answered, before jumping in excitement again, a smile splitting his face. "But Ginny! Guess what, guess what, guess what?" Ginny groaned as people started to give them looks, glaring at the Slytherin across from her.

"Sweet Merlin, _what_ Toby?" she hissed, trying to keep her voice quiet. Harry and Ron were totally looking over at her now, she just knew it. Ron was probably going to blow his top soon too, given Ginny knew _very_ well what his opinion of Slyths were. But Toby didn't care what people thought, and he grinned again. His mouth opened to speak, until two red blobs dashed over and stuffed a bread roll in his mouth.

"'Ello Toby!" Fred exclaimed, throwing an arm around his shoulders and plopping down next to him. George followed after his brother, throwing his arm around their arms and snagging a slice of bacon off Ginny's plate.

"Morning little sis!" George greeted her, ignoring her protests at his unlawful stealing of her food. "So, are you two bursting with excitement?" he asked, and Ginny was confused. Fred noticed her expression, and gasped with horror.

"Ginny! Don't tell me you've forgotten today is your first flying lesson!" he cried.

Toby flew out of the twins hold, shooting forward and yelling quite loudly in her face, "Brooms!" There was an ecstatic look on his face as he was pulled back into Fred and George's chokehold. "This is so cool!" he cried out, gasping a bit. Fred and George laughed, and Ginny jolted as she remembered that today was Saturday, and it was their first flying lesson with Madame Hooch.

"We… we get to learn how to fly!" Ginny cried excitedly, springing up onto her feet. A wide smile was on her face, highlighting the many freckles that dotted it. Toby broke free from her brother's hold, still smiling excitedly.

"On brooms!" he crowed, and Fred and George looked at him funny.

"Honestly, mate, what is it with you and brooms?" they asked in unison, and Toby shrugged. Ginny rolled her eyes, sitting back down and attacking her breakfast with gusto. Toby chuckled a bit when he got the reaction he wanted out of her, plopping down at the table as well and rolling his eyes at her. Forkfuls of eggs, bacon, and toast were all simultaneously shoved into her mouth, and Toby grinned when her plate went from full, to almost done in three seconds flat.

"Wow, Ginny, you're the slowest eater I've ever known," he drawled, eyes alight with amusement as she made a face at him, her cheeks plump with food. She gulped it all down, take a brief sip of pumpkin juice before raising a brow at him.

"Aren't you going to eat?" she asked, and Toby shrugged.

"I feel a bit sick," he admitted, wrinkling his nose as he stared down at all the food. He had spit out the bread roll that Fred and George shoved into his mouth, and it lay quite tarnished on the floor of the Great Hall. For a split second, his head turned to catch sight of his sister at the staff table, staring down at him. She got up when their eyes locked, and started down towards him. He wondered why she was heading to their table, and figured it was because she was going to nag him about not eating. "Maybe I'll just have a few eggs," he muttered to Ginny, not really wanting to feel the wrath of his much older sister. He reached out for the fork on lying innocently on the table, his pale fingers brushing at the metal handle.

"Hey, can you pass me some more toast?" Ginny asked him, her eyes still focused on her plate. She waited a bit for Toby to answer, munching on a piece of another egg before noticing that he hadn't answered her. Puzzled, Ginny looked up and immediately noticed that Toby was gritting his teeth in pain, and clutching his right wrist like he wanted to cleave it right off. "Toby?" she asked, her fork clattering on her plate as she dropped it and stood up quickly. "Toby, are you okay?" Her voice heightened in pitch, drawing the attention of some of the other Gryffindors (including Ron, Harry, and Hermione).

Toby didn't answer her, pushing away from the table and making his chair tumble to the floor. That drew the attention of every person in the hall, and forced Sarah to quicken her pace as she cried, "Toby!"

"I… I gotta go," he gasped, lurching from the Gryffindor table and hurtling down towards the doors. His hand still gripped his wrist in a deadening hold, trying to cut off the blood circulation. Ginny shot out of her seat to follow him, catching Luna's eyes when the Ravenclaw swept into the hall. The blonde girl just took one look at Toby and spun on her heel, walking out, not even pausing in her stride.

"Toby, wait up!" Ginny called, rushing after him just as Fred and George also took off for Toby. They reached him before she did, reaching out to help when it look like he was going to pitch forward right into the ground. He shrugged the off, though, moaning something about being okay as he managed to make it outside the hall. Luna was waiting patiently outside, her eyes startlingly lucid as she grasped at his arms, gently lowering him to the ground.

"You'll be okay," she whispered softly as Toby shuddered. Sarah had come through the doors now, with the headmaster right at her heels. She quickly pushed past the small crowd of people surrounding Toby, joining Luna on the ground and cupping his deathly-white face. His hand was hidden from Ginny's view, but she knew it couldn't be good when the Assistan Gamekeeper turned a deathly white, her hands starting to shake.

"Ms. Williams, what—" Dumbledore started, only for Sarah to cut him off with a relatively calm voice.

"This is normal," she said as Luna rose and stepped away from the two of them. "He just needs a bit of rest and he'll be fine." If someone had listened closer, they would've noticed that Sarah didn't believe what she was saying at all, but Dumbledore nodded his assent because there wasn't much he could do. He gestured to the small crowd surrounding Toby, leaving the brother and sister some privacy.

Ginny was herded with the rest of them, the last to enter the Great Hall and sparing one last glance at Toby and Sarah curled up in the Entrance Hall. Toby's hand was visible now, the entirety of it a sickly green, his pale blue veins popping out drastically against his skin. Sarah was fumbling for something in her cloak, one hand slung over her brother's shoulders as she finally found whatever she was looking for. That was the last thing Ginny saw before the doors closed on her, the sight of the sunlight glinting off the object's reflective surface.

...

...

...

Sarah paced the floor of the Goblin King's throne room, ignoring the little goblins sitting at her feet, their heads following her back and forth, back and forth. Ludo was groaning softly in a corner, Sir Didymus standing beside him as the little fox watched Sarah wear a hole in the stone floor. Hoggle was also there, his hands shoved in his pockets as he stared at the dark-haired Abovegrounder.

"He'll be okay Sarah," he said, and she whirled on her, her face flushed red.

"You don't know that! You didn't see him!" she screamed at him, her hands tousling through her hair as she moaned and sank to the floor, trying to stop the tears. "Toby… oh god, Toby," she whimpered. Ludo moaned again, louder this time when he saw Sarah crying. He buried his head in his arms as well, and Sarah looked up, her gaze softening. "Ludo, oh Ludo, don't cry," she comforted him, walking over to hug him.

"Toby…" Ludo moaned, and Sarah winced a bit as she remembered she wasn't the only person who had seen Toby in pain. She was desperate out in the Entrance Hall, after being left alone. Toby had grown, and she couldn't carry him like she used to; she wasn't strong enough. So Sarah, despite the high risks that came with it, took out a mirror she kept with her at all times, calling out for Ludo's help to carry Toby back to her private quarters in the Gryffindor tower. And Ludo was really only a child, so seeing his friend in such pain tore him up inside.

Sarah sighed a little as Ludo's moaning settled into whimpers, stroking his fur as they waited for news of Toby. She had seen Jareth's face when he saw the green trailing up Toby's arms, and felt that shiver of fear shoot through her again as she prayed that her little brother would be okay. She prayed that it wasn't too late to save him. She prayed that Jareth wouldn't die in the process.

Wait… what?

"Missy Sarah!" a little goblin piped up, sticking his head into the throne room. Sarah jolted up, looking at the Underground creature as it smiled shyly. "Kingy says young master Tobias is okie dokie now. Kingy says Missy Sarah can take young master back to Hoggywarts."

Sarah nodded thankfully, sweeping past the goblin to enter the halls of the castle. Her heart pounded as she made her way back to Toby's room, peering inside to find him sleeping peacefully on his bed. His breathing was no longer laboured and raspy, instead they were now silent, and the only indication that he was even breathing at all was the gentle rise and fall of his chest. Sarah breathed a quiet sigh of relief as she saw him, feeling the tension in her body give out in one fell swoop.

"Toby!" Ludo exclaimed, and Sarah quickly hushed him before Toby woke from the noise. She walked to him, kneeling down by the bedside and just watching his normally pale face breathing silently. The green on his arm was gone, and his veins had receded back into his body; there was only a faint line there, as it should be. Sarah trailed her fingers along his arm, looking at his closed eyes with a small smile.

"Ludo?" she asked softly, knowing the Underground creature was listening to her. "Could you carry Toby back to my room? He needs to rest." Ludo did as she asked, and Sarah's green eyes followed the both of them until they disappeared through the mirror, which was showing an image of her bedroom, and Ludo placing Toby gently upon her four-poster bed.

Sarah watched them, Ludo sitting at Toby's bedside, unwilling to leave him until Sarah got there, wanting to make sure his friend was okay. And Sarah smiled a little as she watched them, unable to feel the tingles of magic that thrummed in the Labyrinth. They had disappeared long ago, when she spoke those faithful words on that faithful night. Sarah figured that was why she couldn't feel the magic of wizarding Britain either; she figured that's why magic didn't work on her.

But… but despite this new _lack_ of sense, Sarah wondered why she always seemed to know when _he_ was around.

"Thank you, Goblin King," Sarah whispered softly into the room, before stepping through into the mirror, back into her bedroom where she could pull the covers over Toby and hug Ludo.

Jareth watched her go, leaning heavily against one of the posts of his bed as he watched her dark hair disappear into the ripples of the mirror. It was blank now, showing only his reflection once Sarah disappeared from sight. It showed the bedraggled locks of his blonde hair, the dark bags under his eyes. It showed the magic swirling around him, replenishing his strength as he finally collapsed unto his bed, imagining behind his dark eyelids a pair of green eyes and dark brown hair tousled softly on his bed.

...

...

...

Ginny sat in her dorm room, her eyes unfocused as she remembered the sight of Toby lying on the floor, paler than a ghost with his hand swathed in a sickly green. It was the first time in a while Ginny had ever felt scared of anything, and she didn't just mean that kind of fear that shot up her back, or made her hands shake. She was talking about that absolutely terrifying feeling that swept through your entire body, until it seemed like you were numb from the inside out. That kind of fear that struck you so suddenly, you wondered for a moment if it was even there.

Shaking away her thoughts, Ginny started digging around in her book bag, wanting to do some homework, or just read something to take her mind off the scene playing in her head from breakfast. She sifted through her books, wondering if she was up to reading some transfiguration, or maybe some charms or astronomy. And it was at this point that Ginny noticed the little, unfamiliar leather black book wedged between her astronomy and charms books.

Blinking in confusion, because she certainly didn't remember owning something like that, Ginny reached in and took it out, flipping through the pages to see them all blank. "Weird," she murmured to herself, sitting cross-legged on her bed as she looked to the front of the book, maybe for a hint as to who it belonged to. It was obviously a diary of some sort, given that all the pages were blank. But Ginny wondered if it was new, because no one had written in it, which seemed unlikely because the book looked rather worn.

Scratching her head, Ginny looked around to see her dorm room empty, before looking back down at the empty pages and feeling a sudden compulsion to write in it. She dug out an ink bottle and a quill, looking down at the blank pages and wondering what to write. Ginny had never had a diary before, not that she'd ever think of getting one; with six older brothers, it was too much of a risk to keep all her secret, private thoughts in a little book. But for some reason, Ginny thought it might be a good idea. So she dipped her quill into the ink, and smoothed the pages of the leather diary, starting out with a, "Dear Diary."

'_I believe it would be, Dear Tom, because my name is certainly not diary_.'

Shrieking, Ginny dropped the book, her quill clattering on her bed as she backed up into the headboard, staring at the open book with the black, spidery words still resting on the page. More lines started to appear, and Ginny crept closer to read them, her brown eyes widening.

'_Hello? You're still there, aren't you? I do hope you are. I haven't talked to anyone in quite a while, and I say it gets boring without anyone to talk to_.'

Breath hitching, Ginny looked down as the sentence was concluded with a little dot, and picked up her quill.

"Who are you?" she wrote in her large lettering, her fingers shaking a little.

'_Oh! So sorry about that; having no one to talk to is doing a dreadful number on my manners. My name is Tom Marvolo Riddle; nice to meet you_.'

Ginny blinked down at the paper, grinning a bit and watching the top of the page start to disappear, as if to make more room for her to write. She did so, replying in her loopy lettering, "I'm Ginevra Weasley, but everyone just calls me Ginny."

'_Well, hello Ginny. I daresay its nice to chat with you, even if you thought I was a diary at first_,' it replied, and Ginny giggled a little. This Tom Riddle fellow was a bit of a teaser, as she could tell, and he seemed nice enough. He liked to joke with her a lot too, as Ginny discovered when she asked him why he was stuck in a book. He regaled her with a tale of his enslavement into the leather bound book, and eased her heart when he asked her why she was even writing in a "diary" anyways.

'_I'm sure your friend will be fine, Ginny_,' he told her, although he added, '_Even though I still wonder why you'd ever want to be friends with a Slytherin_.' Ginny's lips pursed, her eyebrows furrowing. She wrote her reply, a short sentence about how Toby wasn't like that, how he was almost a Gryffindor so that sort of makes him an honorary Gryffindor, right?

'_I don't know, Ginny. It seems awful suspicious. He was almost a Gryffindor, but he still became a Slytherin. And what's more, he actually stopped the Sorting Hat from putting him in Gryffindor by throwing him off! Why would anyone want to __**not**__ be in Gryffindor?_'

Ginny blinked down at the page, stunned as she re-read Tom's reply. He… he actually had a good point. _Why_ would Toby throw the Sorting Hat off of his head when it was about to put him in Gryffindor? Surely he'd rather be in the house of courage and bravery rather than the house of cunning and overall evil, right? I mean, even if he is a muggleborn, he should know that a lot of dark lords came from the Slytherin House.

Ginny shut the book, placing it on her dresser as she crawled out of her bed, shoving on her shoes and wrapping her school cloak around her shoulders. She needed to get out of her dorm. She needed to get out of the _castle_. She just…

She needed to think.

...

...

...

It was Halloween. It was the time of tricking or treating, of going door-to-door for candy and chocolate and chips. It was the time of year that Toby absolutely _loved_, because he got to dress up! So of course, it came as a huge surprise to him when he discovered Hogwarts didn't celebrate Halloween like he did. And he did what any child would do if they had discovered horrifying news like that.

They went about to fix it.

"Oh, hello Toby. You know, the nargles are less likely to attack you if you wear a butterbeer necklace with that blouse," Luna commented as she met with him in front of the Great Hall. It was Sunday, so a lot of the students were dressed in their normal robes, and so many of them started sending Toby strange looks as he stood outside, wearing a white shirt with lots of ruffles and a pair of tight grey pants. Toby rolled his eyes at Luna, grinning a bit at her nth attempt at getting him to wear 'Nargle Protection Gear'. They strolled into the Great Hall together, Toby's long black boots making scuffing noises against the floor.

"My costume looks just fine without a butterbeer necklace, thanks," Toby told her, grinning. A bunch of students (and the teachers, too) started looking at him funny when he waltzed in. Sarah just turned a very pale shade of white in her seat, but Toby didn't notice her when Fred and George appeared in front of him, gazing curiously.

"What the bloody hell are you wearing?" Fred and George asked, putting into words what everyone was thinking in their heads. Toby just glared witheringly at them, crossing his arms and quirking his eyebrow up in a 'hello? Pretty obvious, don't you think?' expression.

"A _costume_,' Toby replied, emphasizing the last word the way an adult would emphasize a phrase to a young child. 'It's Halloween, and I don't know about the magical world, but in the muggle world we celebrate Halloween by dressing up in costumes and going around to different houses, getting candy," he explained, grinning smugly when Fred and George's jaws dropped.

"You mean they give you candy for free?" the two of them asked, and Toby nodded.

"You just have to ask 'trick-or-treat'. If they don't give you candy, you throw toilet paper over their house. That's the rule." Toby nodded his head here, as if assuring the rule. Fred and George turned to each other, grinning widely.

"Why, Gred, I do believe I have an excellent idea."

"Oh, really, Forge? Because I, too, also have a brilliant idea."

"A brilliant idea, you say? Well, that certainly sounds better than my excellent idea."

"I don't know about that Forge. An excellent idea sounds just as brilliant as a… well, a brilliant idea!"

Toby looked between the two of them, rolling his eyes but smirking anyways at their twin habits. "I have the _best_ idea," Toby said, catching their attention. "And everyone knows that the _best_ idea is better than an excellent idea or a brilliant idea." Fred and George (or, Gred and Forge?) looked at him with devilish smiles, inclining their heads to tell him to continue. Toby motioned them forwards, heading to the staff table.

"Professor Lockhart," Toby called, stopping in front of him, wearing the large ruffle-y shirt and a big, innocent grin. Lockhart looked to him, a little suspicious but otherwise answering back.

"Yes, what can I do for you my boy?" he asked, obviously not remembering Toby's name. Toby stamped down his evil grin, making sure that Lockhart would not soon forget it. Fred and George were standing a ways away, far enough to look as though they were just hanging out with some Ravenclaw friends at the end of the table, but close enough to eavesdrop on the two conversing people.

"Trick or treat?" Toby asked, catching Flitwick's attention (and many of the other teachers) as they looked over. Sarah was grinning a bit at Toby's question, knowing exactly what was coming and not doing a single thing to stop it. That, and it was just disconcerting to see him in that costume he was wearing, because of the uncanny resemblance to—

Let's not go there.

"I beg your pardon?" Lockhart asked, clearly confused. Toby tilted his head innocently again.

"Trick or treat."

"I… I don't believe I understand what you're asking," Lockhart replied, starting to sweat a bit as people turned to look at the scene Toby was causing.

"Oh, I'm asking for a treat," Toby said, blinking up at Lockhart. "It's a muggle custom during Halloween. We dress up and go door-to-door, asking 'Trick or treat?' so we can get candy." Lockhart blinked in surprised, tugging at his collar as he laughed nervously.

"Yes, well, I'm very sorry my boy, but I don't have any candy. Maybe next year?" he asked, and Toby shrugged, turning around with the slightest hint of a grin. He had wisely decided not to mention that if a treat wasn't given, than the person was in his or her full rights to abuse the 'trick' part of the question.

Toby motioned Fred and George back to the Gryffindor table, where Luna was already sitting, spooning some eggs onto her plate. Ginny was sitting beside her, scribbling in a little black book and completely ignoring her breakfast, not even noticing Fred nicking a slice of bacon off her plate. Toby sat across from her, Fred and George on either side of him, grabbing a piece of toast and making sure his leather gloves were on tight as he picked up a metal fork. The episode from the first week of school hadn't happened again, after Sarah had warned him to avoid all metal objects on Saturdays. Toby had always known he had a weird allergic reaction to iron, but he just never knew how serious it was until that day.

"So what's the plan, Toby?" Luna asked absentmindedly as she placed another bacon slice back on Ginny's plate, nudging Ginny whose head whipped up, her eyes wide as she saw who had joined her. Quickly stowing the black diary away in her book bag, Ginny went back to eating, although it seemed more like she was poking her food than eating it.

"Lockhart wouldn't give me a treat," Toby said, shrugging with a grin, "So I'm going to give _him_ a trick." And slinging his arms around Fred and George, Ginny promptly saw them disappear into a makeshift huddle, whispering conspiratorially together. Luna didn't seem to mind that they didn't include her, popping another bread roll into her mouth. Ginny just observed them carefully from where she was sitting, but also went back to her food.

They would find out soon enough, it seemed, when the Prankster Trio quickly exited the Great Hall, cackling the entire way.

...

...

...

Sarah tried to stifle her giggles as she walked along the second floor of Hogwarts, holding a mop and bucket in her hands. She still had some toilet paper hanging from the bucket, where it was strung all over the Defense classroom, stuck to the walls with the help of some shaving cream. Toby (and the two redhead twins he was with) seemed to have made good on their promise of pranking Lockhart, for Sarah was reminded of the shaving cream spread on one entire wall of the room, spelling out "YOU SHOULD'VE PICKED TREAT". And obviously, Lockhart had tried to pin it on Toby, who had innocently said that anyone could've wrote that, given almost the entire hall heard his conversation with Toby.

"You have no proof," the first year said smugly, eyes glinting. None of the teachers seemed to be taking Lockhart's side either, so the prat was forced to retract his accusation, ordering Filch to clean the room. Sarah had taken pity on the man, and helped clean up half the room. (He was quite grateful, what with the way Mrs. Norris kept nuzzling her nose against Sarah's leg.) The room was in quite a state of disarray, what with the way Lockhart's desk was wrapped with spello tape, and a lot of the student desks were egged, not to mention the gaggles of pink yard flamingos littering the room. Mrs. Norris didn't seem too peeved though, but that was probably because she was busy licking the smashed pumpkins at all corners of the room.

Sarah almost collapsed with laughter, remembering the state of the room and the furious red flushed over Lockhart's face when he came running to the Headmaster. She was successful in stifling her giggles after awhile, catching sight of Mrs. Norris up ahead. The cat was scratching at the bathroom door, meowing obnoxiously as if she discovered something scandalous inside. One eyebrow rising, Sarah wandered over to the caterwauling cat, reaching down to run her fingers through the fur. Mrs. Norris purred against her hand, continuing to scratch at the door. Sarah, needing to go in there anyway, opened the door and let Mrs. Norris dash inside.

Hefting the bucket up a little higher, as if that would get rid of the weight pulling her arm down, Sarah walked into the cold bathroom, ignoring Moaning Myrtle springing up out of her toilet.

"Who are you?" the ghost screeched, flying closer to Sarah, who smiled a little unsurely at the black-haired girl. Sarah knew all about Myrtle in her research of Hogwarts. She was featured shortly in _Hogwarts: A History_, as being the girl who was killed by one of the students. She had died in the second floor girl's bathroom, clinging stubbornly to life and taking shelter in one of the toilet bowls. Sarah felt a bit sorry for her at first… well, until now.

"I'm Sarah," she replied walking over to the sink, dirty water sloshing about in the bucket. "I'll just be here for a minute; don't mind me." Moaning Myrtle seemed suspicious, but sniffed and careened back into her toilet bowl, a flushing sound indicating she had entered it. Sarah tried not to sigh in relief, knowing Myrtle would probably hear her, and hefted the bucket up to rest it on the sink. She had balanced it on the edge of the sink, intending to pour it down by simply tipping it over. That is, until a disembodied voice suddenly shouted at her, making her shriek and splash some of the water on her shirt.

"Missy! Missy Sarah, look here!"

Sarah's head whirled around, and she saw a group of frantic goblins waving at her from a mirror hung on the wall. Sarah blinked stupidly at them, unconsciously tipping the bucket the right way and letting the dirty water and toilet paper flush down the sink. She had just dropped the bucket, letting it rest there as she wandered over to the mirror, wiping her wet hands on her jeans. "What are you guys doing?" she hissed at them, hoping Myrtle couldn't hear her.

"Missy Sarah needs to leave!" one of the goblins ushered, pressing his face up against the mirror. Sarah pulled back, a little unnerved at the sight until someone ripped the goblin away. Replacing the grotesque (and slightly cute) face of the goblin was a very human-looking face, with wild blonde hair that glittered magnificently. Sarah took another step back, blinking in surprise when Jareth's face swirled into the mirror, his eyes hard and… frantic?

"You have to go _now_!" he hissed. She took another step back, green eyes wide before turning to the door, feeling now would not be the best time to argue with the Goblin King. "NO!" he shouted when he saw what direction she headed in. "Not the door! Through the mirror!"

Sarah blinked at the small mirror above the sink, wondering how in the hell she was going to get through that and feeling a little stunned at the insistence in Jareth's tone. But that was when she heard it; the hissing sound just outside the door that was getting louder. Feeling she'd rather not stay and find out exactly what the eerie noise was, Sarah placed her fingertips on the reflective surface, whispering "Labyrinth, I need you," and shoving her hands through the mirror. A pair of cool leather wrapped around her hands, easing her into the mirror, all the goblins breathing a sigh of relief when she made it through. Sarah was glad that she made it too, especially when her cheek was pressed against in the curve of Jareth's throat, a slight tingle prickling Sarah's skin at the touch.

"What's going on?" she asked, a little out of breath as she backed away a bit, looking up at Jareth's mismatched eyes through her breaths. The tiny mirror was still there, and some of the goblins shifted uneasily on their feet as she looked at them. One of them peeked into the mirror, before shoving everyone aside to let Sarah look into it. Sarah started forward to do exactly that, until Jareth's arms around her waist tightened, and he hissed in her ear, "wait". But his warning was useless, because the pathway was cleared, and Sarah could see quite well from where she was, ensconced in the Goblin King's protective embrace.

"Poor kitty cat," a little goblin sniffled as the image of a large, slithering snake glided towards Mrs. Norris. Sarah gasped, watching the cat freeze up before the snake flicked its tail from side-to-side, curling around the bathroom. It was huge, its scales glittering in the dim light. Sarah could almost hear Moaning Myrtle in her toilet bowl, wailing with her obnoxiously loud voice.

"I'm starting to think this school is a hazard to not only your health, but Toby's as well," Jareth commented, his breath hot against her ear. Sarah shivered unintentionally in his hold, realizing that she was, in fact, cuddling up to the Goblin King in ways inappropriate for two former enemies. But really, Sarah, focus! Remember there's now a giant snake roaming around the school, looking for a nice meal, maybe in the form of a young firstie or Lockhart (granted there wasn't much difference from a firstie and Lockhart, and Sarah didn't think she'd mind too much if Lockhart was eaten. Or gone. Or both).

"M-maybe," Sarah stuttered, breaking free from his hold to stand up, grimacing at the large wet spot on her shirt. "But it won't be that way for long once I tell the headmaster about a giant snake roaming around the school." She stalked off to the direction of the doors, intending to march down to the mirror in Jareth's room to get back to her own, and then beeline up to the headmaster's office. But that plan was deterred very suddenly when the doors to the throne room wouldn't budge, refusing her access into the hallway. Jareth stood slowly, his eyes never leaving Sarah's form when she broke from his hold, watching her slam her fists against the door in a fit reminiscent of her younger years.

"Goblin King!" she screamed, whirling around to look at him, her green eyes blazing furiously. "Open this door right now! I'm not going to bother with your games today!" she said, and Jareth shrugged elegantly.

"It's not my fault," he supplied helpfully, stalking to his throne and plopping onto it the same way an exotic dancer modeled a chair. "It's the Fates."

Sarah blinked, her mouth parting a bit as she registered his words. "The Fates?" she repeated, crossing her arms and narrowing her eyes at him. Obviously, the woman was taking the answer with a grain of salt. Jareth didn't seem concerned though, letting his head fall back as his hand rose, turning his hand in a circular motion as he explained.

"Yes, yes, the Fates. The annoying omniscient thing that is comprised of everyone and everything, all at the same time. Her partner is Destiny, another annoying omniscient thing that delights in tormenting specific individuals. Blame them, not me," Jareth told her, making Sarah's hands drop to her sides as she regarded him carefully.

"Fate and Destiny?" she asked unsurely, not sure how she felt about knowing they really existed in some way. "You're telling me that Fate and Destiny are blocking my way out of here?" Jareth's head lolled up as he stared intensely at Sarah, making her shudder slightly. She refused to step back, squaring her shoulders and meeting his gaze head on.

"That's exactly what I'm saying," he drawled, getting up from his throne. "Really, Sarah, what do you think _got_ you to this idiotic little school in the first place? Believe me, if you were fated to enter the school, you would enter the school. If you were fated to die in my Labyrinth, you were fated to die in my Labyrinth. That is how it all works."

Sarah stared at him disbelievingly, her jaw dropping open as she tried to wrap her head around the idea that there was really something controlling her life. "But… but why are Fate and Destiny blocking my way out? Do they _want_ a bunch of school children to just die?" Sarah cried, horrified at the thought of the children in the school, mindlessly going about their business without any knowledge of the danger lurking among them. But Jareth simply shrugged, swinging his feet off the throne to stand up.

"It's hard to understand why they do much of anything, really. I tend not to look to them for answers; they're a bit… vague." Grinning devilishly in an entirely familiar way, Jareth leaned forward, quirking an eyebrow up. "But if you promise not to say anything about the basilisk, I'm _sure_ they'd be happy to let you out."

Sarah squirmed under Jareth's gaze, every instinct in her body screaming at her to just find someone and spill all the beans, but she looked behind her at the impenetrable door and scowled. "Is it _really_ necessary?" she asked, starting to cave but unwilling to just let it go like a snap of her fingers. "Are a lot of people going to die?" Her green eyes trained onto Jareth's bi-coloured ones, pursing her lips in worry at his apathetic face.

"If someone dies, it is because it is necessary, Sarah," Jareth told her gently, despite his blank face. "But the Fates have assured me that no one will die from the basilisk's roaming. The feline in the bathroom is merely petrified; nothing more." Jareth watched Sarah breathe a huge sigh of relief, and watched the door to the hallway swing open. Sarah quickly bolted out to get back to her room, and Jareth sighed a little as she left the room. That is, until she ran right back in.

"Oh!" she exclaimed, as if she forgot something. "I just… I wanted to…" she started, stumbling for her words, her hands fidgeting. Sarah took a deep breath, looking up with her eyes shining in gratitude, whispering, "Thank you. You've… you've saved Toby's life so many times, and now… now you've saved mine. So thank you." Stepping forward, Sarah started fidgeting a bit more, flushing under his curious gaze. "And… and I feel I ought to repay you… somehow…" She took another deep breath, closing her eyes tightly. "So, if you… if you need me to like, give all your goblins a bath or something, I'll do it." Sarah ignored the collective scandalous gasp from the goblins surrounding them, waiting for Jareth to give her some sort of ridiculously embarrassing task to get back at her for solving his Labyrinth.

Instead, she was quite surprised when she felt his cool leather glove brush feather-light against her cheek, prompting her to look up and get caught in his hypnotizing gaze.

"I ask for nothing so cruel, Sarah," he said a little teasingly, the corner of his mouth lifting when his goblins sighed in relief. "I only ask that you spend one full day with me; here in the Labyrinth."

Surprised, Sarah's lips parted as she mulled over his words. "Like… like a date?" she asked breathlessly. The Goblin King? Asking _her_ on a _date_? But… but what interest would a Faerie have with a mere mortal? As far as Sarah knew, they were like play toys to the Fae; cows to the slaughter. Abundant and expendable.

"If that is what you wish," Jareth whispered softly, the fingertips of his leather glove trailing from her temple to her chin. Sarah's eyes widened, her breath hitching in her throat as she stared dumbfounded up at Jareth. Her mouth parted, and Jareth's eyes flickered down to them, turning dark and heady. The corner of his lips curved up as he stepped minutely closer, Sarah straining her head to continue looking at him. Their bodies were so close, that Sarah knew if she wasn't immune to magic, she would be able to feel the magic pouring off him, slamming against her body. Jareth observed her carefully, his smirk falling a bit. "_Is_ that what you wish, Sarah?" Her name falling from his lips was like a lovers caress, and Sarah felt her body shiver at the underlying emotions in the simple word that was her name.

"It…" Sarah started, breathless and almost silent as she reached up, her hand hovering over Jareth's leather clad one. His eyes flickered to the motion, watching her slim fingers wrap over his hand. A smile lit up his eyes, and he brought the uncovered skin of Sarah's hand to his mouth, brushing his lips gently against it. Sarah let out a shuddered breath, her fingers twitching at the whisper of a kiss floating across her fingers as she finished, "It is."

...

...

...

Meanwhile, the goblins peered curiously into the mirror, having ignored Kingy and the Missy awhile ago, as they seemed quite occupied with just staring at each other. The goblins watched as a little redhead walked into the room, and wondered why she was there in the first place, her finger bleeding as she wrote words on the wall. There was an open black book hanging listlessly in her other hand, filled with black scribbles that were slowly fading away, like the fresh blood that dripped down the wall…


	8. Walk Down Memory Lane

**Of Hogwarts and Inheritances**

**Chapter 7: Walk Down Memory Lane**

Sarah walked through the halls of Hogwarts, fearing for her life a little bit as she ducked under a cacophony of fireworks that the Weasley twins had set off in colours of red and gold. It was a Saturday, and Toby had rushed off the minute he had stepped out of the Labyrinth, hollering about brooms as he sped down the corridors. Sarah could only sigh helplessly as she watched him, smiling a bit as she remembered that it was the first quidditch match of the school year, and Gryffindor was going up against Slytherin. Toby was having trouble deciding who he wanted to root for, since he wanted to remain loyal to his house. Luna was firmly neutral, whilst Ginny was blowing her top about Gryffindor winning for sure. That, of course, prompted Toby to side with his house of silver and green, and the two friends could be seen bantering playfully about the match in the hallways.

Sarah stepped into the Great Hall, smiling slightly as she felt the excitement rampant in the air. All the students were talking excitedly about the match, Toby and Ginny at the Ravenclaw table with Luna as they bickered and teased each other.

"We're going to wipe the floor with you. Harry Potter's on our team, there's no way we can't win!" Ginny boasted, a wide smile on her face as she made a general ruckus at the normally composed Ravenclaw table. She seemed paler these days, Sarah thought, not eating as much and spending an awful lot of time with the black diary she carried around. But as the day of the quidditch match neared, Ginny was slowly breaking out of her strange daze, participating more in Luna and Toby's conversations. Sarah was glad, knowing that Toby didn't make many friends because of his conflicting personality in the Slytherin House.

"Oh yeah? We've got Nimbus 2001's! Better brooms means a better chance of winning," Toby stated matter-of-factly, grinning in his trademark devilish way. Ginny rolled her eyes, and Luna smiled serenely.

"I'm afraid I'll have to agree with Ginny," Luna nodded, tilting her head in the Gryffindor's direction. "The Wrackspurts have been gathering around the Slytherin players an awful lot lately." Toby's mouth dropped open, and he pouted, crossing his arms glumly as Ginny cheered from across the table.

"Bloody wrackspurts," Toby muttered, the years of growing up in Britain catching up to him. Despite his American accent, the young Slytherin used British slang, along with the tidbits of American slang he picked up from Sarah. Luna patted Toby's head comfortingly, picking up a red grape and popping it in his mouth.

"There, there," Luna cooed at Toby's disgruntled face. Sarah stifled a smile, turning away from them to head towards her seat. She spotted Hermione with Harry and Ron down at the Gryffindor table, remembering that Harry was Gryffindor's seeker. The gamekeeper started towards them with the intention of wishing Harry good luck, smiling brightly when they looked up as she neared.

"Professor Williams!" Hermione exclaimed happily when she reached them. Sarah saluted them, grinning a bit when some of the other Gryffindors looked up to stare curiously at her.

"Hi Hermione," she greeted, turning to Ron and Harry as she greeted them with a wave, "and Ron and Harry." Ron seemed a bit fidgety around her, ducking his head to continue shoving food in his mouth. Harry, on the other hand, blinked up at her with a curious look in his eye, but waved politely and muttered a brief hello. "Good luck with the game," she told him, and he flushed a bit, but muttered a brief thanks.

"Are you coming to see it professor?" Hermione asked, her eyes blinking in curiosity. Sarah bit her lip, feeling a bit bad when she saw the young girl's eager expression, knowing she'd wipe it right off.

"I, ah, actually already have plans," Sarah admitted, looking apologetic as Hermione's face fell, as expected. "But you can give me a play-by-play tomorrow, if it's not too much trouble," she added, and Hermione's face brightened at the prospect. Well, until Ron snorted into his pumpkin juice, Hermione glaring at him as he did.

"Hermione? Give you a play-by-play? She doesn't know a thing about quidditch!" he exclaimed, making Hermione flush in anger and embarrassment. Sarah just chuckled, shrugging a bit.

"Well I don't know anything about quidditch either, so I don't think it'll matter much." Ron's mouth dropped open at her reply, getting a little red in the ears as he stood up straighter.

"'It won't matter much'? Of course it matters! How are you going to learn anything about quidditch if _Hermione_'s the one explaining it to you? She'll probably just say its some stupid, dangerous sport that involves a bunch of balls and brooms, and leave it at that!" Huffing in annoyance, Ron turned to Harry as if to as for confirmation. Harry shifted nervously in his seat, playing with his fork as he muttered, "ah, right, whatever Ron said."

Sarah stifled a chuckle bubbling up in her throat, shrugging helplessly at Ron. "Maybe she'll surprise you." Leaving it at that, Sarah turned to Harry, leaning over the table to ruffle his hair affectionately. He pulled back after she took her hand away, surprised at the oddly intimate gesture Sarah bequeathed to him. "Again, good luck Harry," she told him, winking. She brought her head down to their level, whispering, "As the sister of a Slytherin, I can't take any sides, but as a fellow Gryffindor, I want you to knock'em dead!"

Sarah pulled up, standing straight and schooling her face into a fairly apathetic expression. Hermione was smiling widely, Harry looking a bit surprised at the comment. Ron was flabbergasted, torn between freaking out over the fact that a Gryffindor was related to a _Slytherin _and applauding Sarah's enthusiastic encouragement. One would think that he'd get used to the idea of a Gryffindor and Slytherin being related already, but unfortunately prejudices ran quite deep, leaving him sitting there with his jaw slack.

Sarah waved goodbye, heading up to the staff table where she piled a plate high with food, somehow strangely giddy at the thought of where this day would take her. (i.e. straight to the Castle Beyond the Goblin City.)

...

...

...

Toby settled into the Slytherin stands, fidgeting in his excitement as he stared out at the vast area of the quidditch field. There was something of a gap between him and his fellow housemates, but Toby didn't mind too much. He was very used to being ignored because of his conflicting house loyalties and the kinds of friends he made. And Toby was sure he would've been pranked by now, had it not been for his "goblin protecytors" systematically guarding his bed for malicious shenanigans.

Wringing his hands, Toby jumped when he felt someone settle in next to him, turning his head to see Luna swaying gently to the rhythm of the breeze, eyes wide and dreamy. Some of the Slytherins were shooting her dirty looks, wondering why she wasn't sitting in her stands. Luna ignored their probing stares, though, her blue eyes fixed to the empty quidditch pitch in front of her.

"Luna?" Toby asked a little uncertainly, also wondering why she wasn't sitting with the rest of the Ravenclaws. Luna didn't seem to hear him, still swaying gently to the breeze that swirled past her.

"Would you like to join me in the Ravenclaw stands, Toby? Ginny's there as well; I think she's afraid of the nargles down at the Gryffindor stands," Luna commented off-handedly, like she was plainly remarking about how nice the weather was that day. Toby blinked, hesitating for a bit as he surreptitiously glanced at the Slytherins around him, groaning inwardly at some of the dark glares he was getting.

"I'd love to come, Luna," Toby muttered, standing up. Luna nodded, her nod more of a bobbing head as she stood as well, heading off towards the Ravenclaw stands. Toby followed her, as he didn't really know where the Ravenclaw stands were anyways. A part of him was happy to get away from the Slytherins though, because part of him could still feel Snape's beetle eyes boring into his skull in an entirely venomous way. It was November, and Toby still didn't know what the Slytherin Head's problem with him was. Toby was a Slytherin, which meant that Snape should, theoretically, dote on him like he doted on all the other Slytherins. But Toby figured he wasn't giving Snape much of a reason to dote on him, what with him befriending a Ravenclaw and three Gryffindors.

'_But Snape's hated me even before I was friends with Ginny,_' Toby mused internally, sneaking a glance up at he black-robed potions professor. The black-haired man was glaring down at him, and Toby quickly turned his head forward, focusing his ice blue eyes on Luna's cloak. '_Then again, it's not really my business, right?_' he thought nervously, finally crossing the boundary that separated the Slytherins from the Ravenclaws.

They walked a little more in silence, Toby trying to ignore the prying eyes of the other Ravenclaws as they peered down at him. It was then that he wondered absentmindedly what the hell was wrong with these people that couldn't mind their own flippin' business. Glaring at a few of them, Toby finally spotted a flash of vibrant red hair up ahead, identifying it as Ginny. She was hunched over, her red hair spilling onto her lap where her black diary rested. Toby's eyebrows furrowed at the worn leather book, wondering for the hundredth time what the hell she wrote in that damn thing.

"Hey Gin," Toby greeted, plopping down next to her, Luna settling on his other side. Ginny's head snapped up, her hands fumbling to close her diary. Her quill clattered on the ground, and Toby scooped it up in his hand, holding it out to her with a weird look on his face. "You okay?" he asked, and Ginny snatched the quill back, her eyes darting away from his, partially hidden under her long hair.

"I'm fine," she snapped, opening her cloak to insert the book into one of her inner pockets. Toby gave her another weird look, wondering why she was lashing out at him like that, but brushed it aside. She had been doing it quite a bit recently, the habit receding somewhat with the coming excitement of the quidditch match. It hurt Toby a bit whenever she snapped at him, but his more Slytherin-like instincts automatically pushed it aside as unimportant. Girls were notorious for being naturally moody, Toby mused. He was certain of that, considering he had Sarah for a sister.

At that moment, Lee Jordan started to announce the beginning of the quidditch match, and Toby smiled widely when the Slytherin and Gryffindor teams sped out onto the field. He watched the brooms flying through the air, sleek and majestic in the day sky. Fred and George were the easiest to spot, with their vibrant red hair, and Toby waved to them when they sped by. From the expressions on their face, they seemed to be having a grand old time. And Toby smiled as he watched them have an impromptu race around the field, wishing with all his heart that next year, he could race alongside them.

...

...

...

Sarah looked out the window of the corridor, smiling a bit as she saw the stands filling up, a gaggle of brightly-coloured people, banners waving to and fro, shouts turning to cheers as the two teams suddenly shot out into the arena. Sarah couldn't pick Toby and Luna and Ginny out of the crowd, until she managed to spot a mix of green, silver, red, and gold in the mess of blue and bronze. Breathing a sigh of relief that Toby was going to sit with his friends, Sarah turned around and prepared to continue down the hallway to the Gryffindor Tower, where she would take the gateway to the Labyrinth and spend the rest of her day with… _gulp_… the Goblin King.

Sarah tucked a strand of brown hair behind her ear in nervousness, her heart speeding up to the beat of her shoes clacking against the floor. It was empty and echoed in the hallway, and Sarah was somehow anxious at the continuous sound of her heartbeat ringing in the vacant space. It was like she was sixteen again, sneaking around in the corridors at school, hoping a teacher or the principal wouldn't catch her trying to skip class. But she was twenty-five years old, for Christ's (or Merlin's?) sake! It was perfectly okay for her to skip the quidditch game to fulfill her own personal life. Perfectly, perfectly okay.

"Ms. Williams?"

Letting out a shriek, Sarah whirled around to find the headmaster staring curiously at her through his twinkling, amused blue eyes. Sarah wasn't sure if she should be relieved to see him, or scared. The older man was an enigma, indeed, and Sarah often wasn't sure what to think of him. There were times when he seemed like a perfectly normal old senile man, and there are other times when Sarah wonders if that is only an image he is content to project to fool the outer crowds.

"Oh, hello Headmaster Dumbledore," Sarah greeted as her breathing returned to normal. "Going to see the match?" she asked offhandedly, hoping he would limit the conversation to only its bare minimum so Sarah could quickly go to the Labyrinth… which could also constitute as going to her doom, depending on how you looked at it.

"Why, yes I am," Dumbledore replied, still smiling slightly with the infuriating twinkle in his eyes. "And I assume you will not be joining me?" he asked, as if he already knew that she had made prior plans. Sarah often wondered how he did that; knew just about every little thing that went on in the magical world. She was almost tempted to ask him what he knew about the Underground, but decided against it on the off chance he never really heard of it at all.

"I wish I could be there," Sarah admitted truthfully, smiling slightly at the thought of Hermione with a notebook in hand, furiously jotting down play-by-play notes as Ron jumped up and down beside her, cheering rambunctiously in the stands. "But I'm afraid I already have other plans." Ones that involve a certain wild-haired Goblin King… but Dumbledore didn't need to know that.

"Ah, what a pity," the wizard said, eyes still twinkling. "I do hope you will join us for the next quidditch match, yes?" Sarah smiled brightly, nodding her head as she turned to continue heading off to her bedroom.

"I wouldn't miss it, sir!" she exclaimed, rounding the corner of the hallway. Sarah listened to the echo of Dumbledore's quiet footsteps fade away, breathing a little sigh of relief when she no longer heard them within range. Sarah was still very unsure why she was so jumpy that day as she ran a hand through her long auburn locks. She chalked it up to the nervousness accompanied with spending voluntary "alone" time with a Fay who was once her enemy, but was now something much too complicated to explain.

'_We can't be friends,_' Sarah mused as she made her way to her room up in the Gryffindor Tower. '_Acquaintances? That's a bit more likely, but it seems too… impersonal for our relationship. I mean, he almost killed himself in order to keep Toby alive; I don't think that's what a person would do for someone who was just a casual acquaintance to them._'

Sighing a bit in confusion, Sarah quickly gave her password to her portrait door and hurried inside, throwing off her witches robes (she never really liked wearing them) and dashing to the full-length mirror fastened to one of her walls. She grimaced a bit at the harried person staring at her, combing down her slightly askew brown hair and wondering for a second if her attire was appropriate for spending a day with Faerie royalty.

Sarah's hands dropped from her head.

"What is _wrong_ with me?" she yelled at herself, groaning and burying her face in her hands. "Damn it, Sarah, it's just the _Goblin King_! I mean, he's seen you in your Hello Kitty pajamas, for Christ's sake!" Taking a deep, shuddery breath, Sarah lifted her head and glared indignantly at her reflection in the mirror, her cheeks a bit pink from the flustered scolding she just gave herself. Banishing all current thoughts from her mind, the young woman reached out, pressing the tips of her fingers against the surface, whispering "Labyrinth, I need you," before slipping silently through her mirror. Her skin tingled at the sensation of slipping between the worlds, eyes closed until her entire body was safely across before cracking her eyes open and finding herself, once again, in the same room she always arrived in.

Sarah blinked when she regained her bearings (crossing worlds was always a bit disconcerting) surveying the room with a new awareness. Usually, when Sarah arrived in this room she was much too concerned with Toby's physical state as opposed to how utterly luxurious it was. But luxurious was an understatement, she thought as her mouth dropped open a bit at the… _everything_. She stood in a room that practically _sparkled_ of wealth and prestige and aged splendour, and Sarah still wondered how it ever really _fit_ with the scheme of the rest of the castle. The rest of the castle was darker, often in shambles and overall giving off a sense of abandonment. The fact that there were destructive goblins roaming about on a constant basis might also be the reason, so Sarah supposed that was the likely explanation.

"Ah, I see you have arrived," Sarah heard Jareth say as he suddenly appeared from a formerly empty space in Sarah's peripheral vision. He looked calm and unruffled, like always, sporting his customary grey tights and white poet's shirt. Sarah's heart skipped a beat when she saw his clothes, which were a perfect mirror of Toby's 'costume' from Halloween. "Is something the matter, Sarah?" he asked, her name caressed on his tongue like devil's chocolate, making her shiver involuntarily. It reminded her that she was staring at him too long, and too intensely. It made her realize that Jareth knew she was staring at him too long and too intensely as well, forcing her to avert her eyes to save face.

'_Not even a minute and you're already breaking. Damn it, Sarah, focus!_' she scolded herself mentally, taking a few deep breaths to regain her bearings. Sarah was glad Jareth remained silent while she took a few seconds for herself, although she suspected he was only humouring her attempts at self-control. That caused a slight grimace to edge over her lips, but it was quickly wiped away once the Goblin King started forward, his shoulder just barely skimming the edge of her shirt as he headed to the door.

"Where are you going?" she asked him, standing somewhat awkwardly in the middle of the room. Jareth paused at the doorframe, turning slowly with a stifled glint of amusement in his eyes. Sarah had thought for a second that the faerie was going to leave her alone during this 'date' of theirs, and panicked. (But why would she panic? C'mon Sarah, _Goblin King! Evil nemesis!_)

"I thought _we_ would take a trip around my Labyrinth," he replied, shrugging elegantly. "I don't believe you really took the time to appreciate it."

"No, that would be admittedly hard to do when faced with a thirteen hour time limit," she responded, quirking a brow at him. He didn't seem to catch on to her veiled accusation; that, or he just really didn't care what she thought of his supposed cruelty. Even after all this time, after the countless moments when Jareth continuously saved Toby's life, there was still a small part of Sarah that resented him for taking Toby away in the first place. There was still a part of Sarah that was forever fifteen-years old, bitter and angry.

'_About what?_' she asked herself, only for the question to be forgotten when Jareth spoke, his velvety voice soothing all her troubled thoughts.

"Well it's rather fortunate that, right now, we have all the time in the world," he answered, a slow smile curving his lips up. He reached out, grazing the tips of his leather gloves against the small of Sarah's back, urging her forward with his teasing touch. "So what do you say, _Sarah_? Care to run the Labyrinth once more?" He said it like a challenge, and Sarah's head turned up towards his eyes to glare furiously into them. A Williams never backed down from a challenge; _never_.

"I would be delighted," she replied, her voice venomously sweet as she stepped away from his feathered caresses, stalking out of the room with purpose in her gait. Jareth watched her amusedly, marvelling at her ability to get riled up over the tiniest thing. She had not changed, he thought, not at all. But alas, nostalgia was a road Jareth did not frequently partake in, as it was much too depressing for a Fay whom has existed for a very, very long time.

Following Sarah out the door, Jareth spotted her making her way to the throne room, the only other place in the castle she frequented. Sarah had taken the route so many times she needed no direction, leaving Jareth in the dust as she hurried along the corridor. The Goblin King just chuckled, taking a step forward only to teleport into his throne room, draping himself on his chair and waiting as Sarah burst into the room, scaring some of the goblins there. She looked surprised when she caught sight of him.

"How did you—"

"Magic."

Jareth grinned at the annoyed expression that flashed across Sarah's face, but it was quickly gone when she crossed the length of the room, coming to stand in front of Jareth and folding her arms against her chest. "So, are we going?" she asked, almost impatiently. Jareth stood, sweeping his arms exaggeratingly towards the doors, which opened swiftly, smacking the little goblins standing behind it. The little Underground creatures cursed loudly, and Sarah's brow arched delicately at them. She had spent enough time around the little buggers to know they were indestructible, and highly annoying.

"Shouldn't we start at the beginning?" Sarah asked him, heading to the front doors anyways. Jareth shrugged elegantly, following at a much more casual pace as the two of them exited the Castle Beyond the Goblin City.

"I thought I would give you the special, behind-the-scenes tour," he answered nonchalantly. "It just so happens that this special, behind-the-scenes tour begins here, instead of all the way over there." Sarah looked to the direction his arm pointed to, awed as she took in the sight of the Labyrinth stretched out before her. The first time she had seen the Labyrinth in it entirety was at its beginning, when she had just teleported from her room to a barren wasteland. But now, she was seeing it from the very doorstep of the Goblin King's castle, and it was no less amazing.

"Shall we?" Sarah heard Jareth ask, and she turned to see him offering his arm. Hesitating for the slightest moment, Sarah looped her arm through his, smiling secretly beneath her hair as she angled her face away from his gaze.

"Lead the way."

And lead he did. Past the stone walls of the Goblin City, through the gates and out into the wasteland. They walked and walked and walked through a path familiarly taken, Sarah's emotions rising as she passed by key routes, her eyes sweeping the scenes. It was nostalgia at its best, stirring inside of her, bringing unbidden smiles to her lips from the pleasant weight of it upon her breast. Her head rested languorously on Jareth's shoulder, the sharp angle of his bones pressing against the side of her head as they passed into the junkyard, where Agnes was hobbling along, a mountain of objects weighted upon her back as usual.

Sarah, in her scrutiny of Agnes, stumbled over a worn teddy bear, quickly righting herself. Jareth wrapped an arm around her waist, helping her balance properly. She was a bit in awe as she let the Fay lead her along, stopping when the championess passed by a nostalgic door. She didn't notice when Jareth's arm slipped from her waist, allowing her the freedom of movement to crawl through the door and take in the vision that was her old room.

It was all there. Her old white vanity, that had broken apart sometime after she turned seventeen, and the M.C. Escher poster that hung on one wall. The shelves with all her stuffed animals were proudly displayed, and her desk held a plethora of all her old toys that she had packed away years ago. Her scrapbook was even there, lying open for all to see the effervescent loveliness that was her mother, Linda Jones.

Sarah quietly sat down in front of her vanity, tracing the picture of her mother with the tips of her fingers. Jareth had entered the room, but she didn't notice him much as her nails raked down the smooth curve of her mother's jaw line, tearing the paper in harsh, jagged lines. Her eyes were icy, staring at the ruined photograph of her mother in the scrapbook before they tore away from the gruesome sight, focussing on the Goblin King looking decidedly unruffled in the middle of her old room.

"You were quite the dreamer," he commented offhandedly, bi-coloured eyes searching the room meticulously. Sarah winced, standing up and shrugging uncomfortably.

"I was a child," she answered.

"You were fifteen," Jareth shot back, causing her to flinch.

"I'm slow on the uptake," Sarah tried again, pressing her lips together in defiance. She didn't notice when the Fay had drifted closer to her, but he certainly became tangent once his gloved fingers pressed lightly against the small of her back.

"Oh, I am quite aware of _that_, Sarah." Her name was, once again, a caress on his tongue. She shivered at the sound of it dropping from his lips, something undeniably sensual lying in its undertone, a feeling she would not have been able to sense a decade ago, but was more than clear to her now.

"Can we continue with the tour?" she squeaked, a little uncomfortable with the topic of conversation as she hurried to the door. Sarah was beginning to feel uneasy in her old room, surrounded by dreams and fantasies she had left behind long ago. Jareth chuckled lowly behind her, but complied with her wishes as they walked out of the room and the junkyard and onto another familiar path. It led to a little shaded spot in the road, and Sarah spied an eaten peach lying innocently on the ground, close to the tree. It was decaying.

"You know," Sarah commented conversationally, "because of you, I can't eat peaches anymore."

Jareth threw his head back and laughed. He wrapped and arm around her waist, grinning devilishly as he steered her further down the path, thoroughly amused. "Do forgive me," he started to say, "it was never my intention to frighten you from the delicacy of the prunus persica—"

"I WISH THE GOBLINS WOULD JUST COME AND TAKE YOU AWAY RIGHT NOW!"

The two of them froze in mid-step, Sarah feeling every muscle in Jareth's body tense. Sarah herself was hit with another feeling of nostalgia; however this kind of nostalgia was not the nice, pleasant kind but rather the dreadful, unpleasant kind. Somewhat scared, the young woman turned her face up to look into Jareth's shivering when she saw it was impassively frozen, along with the rest of his body that screamed ice-cold fury. There wasn't even a warning before Sarah turned her head and found herself in the throne room of the Castle Beyond the Goblin City, Jareth already dressed in dark, glittering clothes and sweeping out the door.

"Please excuse me for a moment, Sarah," he murmured softly, icily. The grand doors slammed behind him, echoing through the room, and Sarah felt strangely alone amongst the tittering goblins. That is, until she heard a quiet sniffling behind her, and turned to see a two-year old girl crying silently into her tiny, fisted hands.

Tiny fisted hands that were black with bruises and red with blood.

...

...

...

If someone asked Toby what he thought of his first quidditch match, the young Slytherin would reply with something along the lines of, "Scary. Brilliant, but scary. Kind of like girls."

Not that Toby had much comparison to go on, mind you. The thought was mostly influenced by his older sister, Sarah, who was both his best friend and his worst nightmare. Luna was, at this point, mostly an oddity, and Ginny seemed more entranced with her bloody diary than listening to his hilarious exploits with Fred and George.

But alas, Toby digresses. Honestly speaking, he was absolutely thrilled at the idea of quidditch and flying on a broom and throwing a quaffle past keepers and through hoops. The wind rushing through his hair, his uniform whipping wildly around from the breakneck speed he was flying… It sounded brilliant, and it looked brilliant, and Toby thought it was just the most brilliant thing in the world as he sat there, squirming excitedly in his seat.

That is, until Harry Potter got whacked with a bludger and proceeded to fall to his eternal doom.

_Details, details,_ his Gryffindor side piped up. _What's a sport without a little danger? Everyone knows all the greatest sports involve the highest risks._

_And I'm so sure we'd like to risk our necks going after a fake golden ball to win a bit of fame and glory until our butts get whooped in the next quidditch match, _his Slytherin side argued back, emerging in a mental swirl of green and silver. Toby wasn't entirely sure if they were figments of his subconscious coming to guide or torture him, but as of this moment they were a bit annoying in his head.

"That was rather anticlimactic," Luna intoned from beside him, her dreamy blue eyes riveted on the scene of Harry Potter and (not a) Professor Lockhart on the field, the latter holding the former's wiggly arm. The Gryffindor Seeker was soon carted away to the Hospital Wing, and people began to murmur as they shifted from their seats to make their way to the castle. There were a few indignant yells, and Toby turned in their direction to see a flash of red, signalling Ginny's hair as she hurried away.

_Probably going to congratulate the Gryffindor bloke on his smashing dive, _his Gryffindor side said smugly, his accent undeniably British.

_Or finding a place to write in that damn journal of hers,_ countered his Sytherin side, his accent American and the tone entirely reminiscent of a sneer. The mention of the diary made Toby frown, but he shook it off and started forward to head to the Great Hall for a bite.

"Hey Luna," he started, planning on asking her to accompany him until he realized she wasn't there. Instead, a disgruntled older Ravenclaw meet his gaze, brow arched in a, 'what the hell do you want?' look. Toby clipped his mouth shut, sending a swift glare to the boy in the purple and bronze and continuing into the castle, now with the intention to find his odd friend. The halls were pretty crowded, though, and Toby grimaced as people shouldered into him and kept walking, not even bothering to apologize.

Growling in annoyance, Toby quickly ducked into another corridor, keen on getting away from the crowd. It seemed everyone else had the same idea as him, all heading towards the Great Hall for a bite to eat. So Toby decided to take a less crowded, more scenic route, sighing in relief when the crowds thinned until he was the only person walking in the hallways. He walked for a little while, thinking of where Luna might've gone to. She was always prone to disappearing and reappearing, and it never bothered Toby very much. He thought it was part of her odd charm.

Ginny, though, he had a bit of a bone to pick with. The diary she lugged around was starting to get on his nerves, as she spent so much time writing in the damn thing that he was tempted to set it on fire before asking her what the hell she was writing in it. The funny thing was, Toby wasn't too sure why he got such a bad feeling from the book, so he equated it to feeling neglected by the female Gryffindor. I mean, if you had a problem you should talk to your friends, right? Why do you need a diary if you have friends you can talk to?

Toby sighed as he reached the end of the hallway, wondering if he'd ever really understand girls.

_THUD_

Toby froze at the edge of the corner, his feet paralyzed beneath him as he wondered, faintly, what that noise was. It sounded as if something had fallen to the floor, which wouldn't be much of a problem if Toby did not have an uneasy feeling creeping up his spine. If there was one thing he learned from Sarah through the eleven years they were together, it was that you did _not_ ignore your gut. So, cautiously, Toby peered around the corner of the wall, breathing short and shallow before it halted to a dizzying silence at what lay before him.

There, at the far end of the corridor, a giant snake loomed above a tiny child lying prone on the floor, venom dripping from its fangs.


	9. A Muggle's Pride

**Of Hogwarts and Inheritances**

**Chapter 8: A Muggle's Pride**

Sarah Williams had always been something of a proud woman. Part of it was genetics, (as she grudgingly admitted) coming from her mother's side. Or rather, just from her Linda Jones herself. Her mother was an only child growing up, so Sarah didn't, in all technicalities, _have_ aunties or uncles. However, Linda Jones _did_ have cousins, many of which Sarah was forced to meet due to her grandparent's family reunions. Most of them seemed to be nice, proper folks and often reminded Sarah of her father, who was a sort of nice, proper man. However Linda Jones was anything but proper. And of course, as her daughter, that meant Sarah would inherit a few nasty characteristics from her mother to prevent her from being as nice and proper as she would like. One such trait was, naturally, her pride.

If Sarah was brutally, brutally honest with herself, she would admit that at first the Goblin King seemed like nothing except a big bully, stealing precious things and playing pranks. Her opinion of him changed over the years, of course, as she observed him helping Toby to his utmost ability; allowing him to live a normal life at Sarah's wishes, despite the fact both of them knew it would be far better to let him live in the underground. Nowadays her heart was a little softer; a little mushier for the man with the wild hair and the striking eyes, but there was always going to be that little part of her that would never understand his obligation to take small children. It was so cruel, ripping a baby away from someone who cared deeply about them as they surrendered to one moment of weakness.

Of course, faced with the bleeding child sitting in the Goblin King's throne, Sarah wrestled with her unyielding pride as she struggled to admit that she was… _wrong_.

It had never occurred to her that any of these children had been _abused_ and _neglected_ by their caretakers. Sarah recoiled at the thought of raising a hand to an innocent child, who was completely vulnerable to you and your whims. No matter how often she became frustrated and angry with Toby, she had never, _ever_ assaulted him. The very idea was grounds to be spat upon.

And yet, here it was. A reminder of the cruelty of human nature, rearing up to slap Sarah right across the face.

Some of the goblins inched closer to the little girl crying on the seat, but she seemed to have sensed their approach when she flinched back, crying harder. "No hit," she said through heaving gasps. "Mummy, no more hit."

It's strange to feel two different emotions at once when those emotions are on opposite ends of the spectrum. Equal parts of sadness and rage rushed through Sarah, leaving her torn between the two in a strange limbo. On one hand, the urge to castrate someone made her fingers twitch; on the other hand, a deep craving to comfort the little girl made her blink a tear away. Sarah was not able to act on either emotion, however, when Jareth suddenly reappeared in the room, dressed once again in his more casual poet's shirt and grey tights.

"Shh, darling," he hushed to the little girl, scooping her up in his arms and twirling her around. She yelped in surprise, at first drawing further into herself but somehow sensing Jareth's softness and looking up into his glittering eyes. "My, my, you look an awful mess, don't you darling?" he asked her, grabbing one of her bloodied and bruised hands and inspecting it as if a little boy playing doctor might. "Well, no matter, that is easily taken care of." He divested his gloves with a quick tug using his teeth, displaying his smooth, pale hand as it lightly traced the little girl's arm.

Sarah gasped when she saw the bruises and the blood disappear rapidly, the little girl awestruck as well when he finished. She looked to Jareth with a shining gaze, a wide smile breaking across her face. "Fank you!" she crowed, hugging him as tight as she could when she wound her arms around his neck. He laughed, a joyful, clear sound that rang through the room and made Sarah wonder just what she never bothered to find out about the supposedly notorious Goblin King.

"You're very welcome, poppet," he said to her, smiling his fanged smile and placing her on the floor. Sarah was shocked when she saw a large swirl of wild magic gather around the little girl, reaching inside her to shift and transform her until her skin turned a dark, mottled green and her body distorted itself. The end result was a young goblin maiden that giggled in a high voice, curtsying politely to the Goblin King. Jareth smiled again, waving his hand to dismiss her and the rest of the goblins. "Now, go find something to do, Poppet."

Poppet, as she had apparently been named, skipped around the room. Sarah watched the new goblin maiden observing her surroundings carefully, her bright yellow dress a contrast to the dark and gloomy room. Given the rather rambunctious lifestyle of the goblins in the Underground, Sarah was pretty sure that yellow dress wouldn't stay yellow for long. Not that Sarah cared much as she turned to stare at Jareth picking a stray feather off his poet's shirt.

"Shall we continue with the tour?" he asked, as if he didn't just go bat-shit a second ago. She stared at him for a long moment, mollified, her mouth dropping open as she looked from him, to Poppet, and back to him.

"But… but the little girl," she started, clearly confused, cutting herself off. "She… why is she… how come she… what about the game?" she finally asked, her thoughts somewhat reorganizing themselves. Jareth looked at her almost pityingly, his arm wrapping around her shoulders and tugging her out of the throne room and into the crumbling hallways.

"Sarah, you of all people must realize that in order for there to be a _game_, there must first be a _contestant_," he informed her rather gently, as if he knew what was to come after his intended words. And it was just as he predicted, when Sarah's eyebrows shot up into her hairline, and she halted in the mid-walk to stare incredulously at him.

"She… she picked her _dreams_? But why… how come… what kind of person would just… UGH!" Reverting to childhood, Sarah slammed her clenched fists on the stone walls, tears brimming at the corners of her eyes in frustration while Jareth watched detachedly behind her. The only thing she could do at that moment was wonder how anybody could be as selfish as to just abandon their child for their own hopes and dreams. What kind of person would do that? Just throw away the best possible thing that ever happened to them in return for a little bit of fame, a little bit of glory, a life in the spotlight. Why would they abandon something that they laboured to carry _inside of themselves_ for _nine months_; a beautiful life that was theirs to nurture and to hold, something that was a part of their own flesh and blood? Someone that looked up to them, who strived to _be_ like them, who hung onto every word and every action and hoped to God or Merlin or whoever was out there that their words and their actions would be just as captivating; would be just as awe-inspiring.

The pebbled road under her was growing darker with every second, but Sarah didn't even realize it was because of her tears until she felt Jareth's arms wrap around her, his voice a soft lull in her ears. There was a hushing sound, a kind of white noise in the background, and his comforting weight gave stability to offset the horrible shaking in her shoulders. She was still pounding her fists against the wall, but Jareth tugged her away from it, grabbing her flailing arms and bringing her hands to his lips, placing gentle kisses on them. Sarah didn't bother resisting, too overcome by her frustration and grief and self-pity to refuse comfort – even comfort from the Goblin King.

"I hate her," Sarah cried into his shoulder, clutching desperately at his shirt as he rubbed numbing circles into her back. She flexed her fingers, remembering the way her nails clawed at the newspaper, delighting strangely in the mutilation of her mother's face portrayed prettily in the article. "I hate her."

...

...

...

Toby Williams had always been a rather unshakable boy, both in his younger years and even until now. It was definitely not a genetic trait, as his mother Irene was easily frightened. His father, Robert, was a little better in the face of danger. However, that bravery was offset by his rather curious phobia of birds… but I digress.

Even Sarah, Toby's older sister, had noted his curious lack of fear. It was much more normal when he was younger, but all of it just seemed to vanish a few months after he turned four, and was just starting school. In fact, a better word to describe him would be 'excitable', as he seemed to have an insatiable enthusiasm practically everywhere he went (a characteristic he would soon discover bled into his later years of relentless sarcasm).

The reason for this could probably be blamed on the little goblins shrieking at his feet as he stood frozen in the middle of the hallway, his heart thumping in his chest and his breath going dry. They had christened themselves his 'protecytors', and Toby never really had to worry much about fearful things, like bullies and mean adults. Despite their rather rambunctious activities, the four goblins were incredibly loyal, and incredibly ruthless in their punishments. Toby had always felt safe around them, because they were so reckless that they could handle anything thrown their way. So it was a bit of a shock when Sqeek tugged on his pant leg, trying to pull him backwards as Sneek, Skuell, and Maelicious shuffled in front of him, brandishing their gleaming weapons.

"Master Tobias! You's must run!" Sqeek squealed, fruitlessly trying to pull his body backwards.

"But… but that boy—" Toby started, his heart lurching as his eyes stayed trapped on the prone figure of the boy lying on the ground. Toby was pretty far away, and he didn't see any blood coming from the body, but it was highly likely that the sandy-haired kid was… _dead_.

Toby sucked in a sharp breath at the thought, his face paling further than was possible. A darker part of him warred to run, to save himself, but there was another part; a more _human_ part that begged him to see. Maybe the boy wasn't dead; maybe he could be saved!

Unfortunately, the choice wasn't made for him as the large reptile's head rose slowly, and Sqeek grabbed a fistful of his hair, thrusting his head down. "Don't look into eyes!" Sqeek exclaimed, and Toby squeezed his eyes shut in response, heart quickening. "Mirror!" Sqeek suddenly yelled, grabbing Toby's hand and pulling him in the opposite direction of the snake, "We needs mirror!"

Toby sped down the corridor with him, the other three goblins following close behind, armour clanking noisily in the deserted hallway. He wasn't exactly sure where Sqeek's logic lie, because honestly what would finding a mirror do? If anything, they needed to find a teacher, as the teacher would have a better chance of saving the kid in the hallway. With that thought in mind, Toby resolutely quickened his sprint, gasping and panting as he rounded the corner, his goblins struggling to keep up. There was still a large part of them that wanted to go back and save the unconscious (or dead?) child, but he heard a faint hissing some ways back, and decided it would be in his (and the other kid's) best interest to survive.

It was to his utter relief that as soon as he rounded the corner, Professor Snape and Headmaster Dumbledore were casually strolling by, and caught sight of his death-warmed face and gasping breaths.

"Someone… dead… back…" were the only words he was able to articulate before he passed out, flushed cheek pressing against the cool stone floor beneath him.

...

...

...

Sarah stared at the full-length mirror, studying her reflection and the faint red in her eyes. It had been quite a long time since Sarah had truly, _fully_, cried. More often than not, they were fat, fake tears brought out only because her character in a school play was overly dramatic or had experienced something devastatingly tragic. Those times, Sarah was strangely detached from herself, willing the tears to existence only by utter frustration and a necessity to pass her course. Every time it was done, Sarah would simply pat her cheeks dry and smile brightly, moving on from the stage.

But it wasn't so easy this time. There was still a dull ache in her chest, an ache that hadn't been present for a very long time. Sarah liked to think it was because she was over her mother's abandonment, but now that she stood here, staring at her tear-stained face in the mirror, Sarah supposed it was because she had simply chosen to ignore it. And now that it had made itself apparent, it wasn't going away. Especially as she looked at her reflection, seeing the green eyes and the dark hair and the lithe figure that had dominated her mother's genetics. There was very little of her father that Sarah had inherited physically. Hell, there was very little of him she inherited at all!

Turning her back from her reflection, now disgusted with it, Sarah locked gazes with the Goblin King, who was standing at the far end of the room, watching her with a guarded expression. She often wondered what he was thinking, as he always seemed to look aloof and unreadable to her eyes. It was different when she had blubbered on him like a victimized fifteen-year old, as his eyes were undeniably soft and comforting, but now they were back to their normal, unreadable selves.

"Sorry for crying on you," Sarah said a bit uncertainly, tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear. Jareth smirked, sending her heart fluttering in her chest.

"There are no apologies needed, precious thing," he replied, probably very aware of how his nickname made her blush. "On the contrary, I should be expressing my apologies to you. Unbidden circumstances have interrupted our delightful walk down memory lane." Sarah smiled a bit, trying to shrug nonchalantly.

"It's okay," she muttered, "It was actually more of a blessing in disguise, to be honest." One of Jareth's perfectly arched eyebrows rose, but he did not question her further, allowing her to keep her secrets as he kept his. "And anyways, this just means that you'll have to make it up to me," Sarah continued a little smugly. Apparently, the idea of the Goblin King owing her something did much to brighten her spirits. Jareth wasn't sure if this was a bad thing or a good thing.

"I am at your disposal, Sarah." He swept into a low bow, causing the young woman a slight amount of embarrassment, but she took it in stride.

"Ahm… well, then I should… get going now," Sarah commented, glancing at the mirror behind her. It was strange, because there was a part of her that didn't want to go back. She hesitated for the slightest second, before turning resolutely to face the gateway between the two grounds. However, Sarah was sure that her slight hesitation had been noted by the Goblin King, who seemed to smile a little wider when she stepped through her own reflection to end up on the other side, still a little red from embarrassment.

Upon arriving in her bedroom, she almost made a mad dash for her bed, intent on getting some sleep (the day was definitely an emotionally exhausting one). However, it was derailed when there was a loud crack in her room, and she whirled around to find a House Elf quivering with what seemed like fear… or concern?

"Missy Sarah!" it squeaked, twiddling its thumbs. Sarah blinked once at its arrival, and a second time at it addressing her. She cleared her throat, standing up straight and trying to rid herself of the tiredness aching in her bones.

"Um… yes?" she asked, not knowing that in the next second, lethargy would be the last thing she'd feel for the next few hours.

"Missy Sarah must come quick! The young master Tobias is in hospitality wing!"

...

...

...

Ginny woke up, a little dazed as she blinked her eyes to clear her vision, finding herself in an empty hallway. Strange… the last thing she remembered was standing in the bleachers with Toby and Luna, panic shooting through her as she watched Harry Potter take a fall off his broom. She had wanted to go see if he was alright, and was turning around to tell her friends just that when everything went… black. The scary thing was that these periods of nothingness were happening more and more frequently, and apparently for much longer periods of time as Ginny peeked at a nearby clock and found it was almost dinnertime.

Wincing at the customary slight headache that accompanied all her black-outs, Ginny gingerly got to her feet, regaining her footing and heading in a random direction to try and find the Great Hall. Luna and Toby were probably worried sick, she mused, smiling a bit. She reached into her pocket, blinking when her fingers brushed the soft leather of the black diary she found in her things at the beginning of the year, frowning slightly. It's funny, because her strange lapses started happening soon after she started attending Hogwarts.

Ginny figured it could be some strange type of homesickness, or maybe stress from having to do schoolwork and studying in general. She decided not to think too much of it, shrugging and continuing down the hall. There was uncertainty that prickled at her faintly, but it soon disappeared and Ginny wondered why she ever bothered worrying at all. There was nothing _wrong_ with her… right?

The headache must've been getting to her, she thought, dragging her feet on the floor. She was certainly a bit peckish, although some food would clear that right up. But just as she jumped onto the staircase that lead to the ground floor, Ginny found herself face-to-face with a familiar pair of radish earrings.

"Luna!" she exclaimed, surprised as she stepped back. Luna stared dreamily into the distance, as if Ginny hadn't just shouted in her face.

"Oh, hello Ginny. You're looking rather peckish; maybe you should get something to eat," Luna remarked in an off-handed way, her eyes skittering from place-to-place, never remaining in one spot. "I would join you, but the wrackspurts are causing mayhem in the Great Hall, and I do suppose Toby will want some company in the hospital wing; it gets dreadfully boring up there." Luna hummed as she brushed past Ginny, whose mouth had dropped open before stopping the Ravenclaw from moving any further.

"What do you mean Toby's in the hospital wing? Is it because of that thing that happened before?" Ginny demanded to know, her concern overriding the dark suspicions she had of her Slyth-Gryff friend. But Luna simply kept humming, ambling lazily up the stairs to the fourth floor of the castle. Panic took over, as Ginny thought up the worst case scenario (_he's dead—he's dead—he's dead—_) and broke off at a run up the stairs, grabbing Luna's hand and pulling her along for the ride.

Their steps thundered down the hall, making a few students turn and look heir way in confusion. Running is prohibited in the halls of Hogwarts but luckily the two of them didn't encounter any professors or prefects. They made it to the doors of the hospital wing really quickly, and Ginny didn't take any time bursting the doors open, her red hair flying wildly behind her. Ginny barely registered Harry Potter, her brother, and their bookworm friend on one side of the wing before she spotted Toby lying comatose in a bed and rushing to him.

"Toby!" she exclaimed, gripping the sides of the bed. Toby's bleary blue eyes blinked up at her, and smiled crookedly.

"Heeey, Gin," he replied, sitting up. Ginny scrambled to help him, and Luna stood at the foot of his bed, still dreamily looking around her. She had even caught Harry's eye and waved to him in greeting before turning back around to smile thoughtfully at her Slytherin friend. "Hey Luna."

"Toby," Luna greeted, inclining her head. "I'm very glad that you turned out not to be dead or petrified. That would have been very horrible." Luna nodded her head once, as if to re-ascertain him of that fact. Toby grinned at her.

"I'm glad I'm not dead or petrified either, Luna."

The three of them didn't notice the Gryffindor Trio standing opposite the hospital wing, surrounding Colin's bed and staring rather noticeably at them. Ron was turning red, obviously a sign that there was something he didn't agree with. Hermione had a thoughtful look on her face, her eyes flickering from the strange group of friends, and Harry was merely staring at the boy in the middle, with his white-blonde hair and startling ice blue eyes.

Ron started forward, probably to say something foot-in-mouth inducing to his younger sister, but was fortunately derailed when the hospital wing doors burst open a _second_ time (Madame Pomfrey was going to have an aneurism) and the headmaster, the Head of Gryffindor, and the Head of Slytherin waltzed in.

"Ah, Mr. Williams, you're awake," he pointed out, smiling benignly and tottering over to the first years. Toby sat up a bit straighter in bed, his shoulders tensing when Snape drew near.

"A pity, isn't it?" Snape droned, his eyes narrowed in turn with Toby's tensing. Professor McGonagall sent Snape a somewhat surprised glance, obviously not expecting the potions master to be ridiculing one of his own students. Obviously the Gryffindor Trio didn't expect it either, their surprised glances mirroring each other.

"Now, Severus, it would be best not to antagonize this boy. He _is_, after all, the only one who can tell us what happened." Dumbledore peered down to stare at Toby, a light smile still playing at his lips. Their eyes locked, and the headmaster frowned for the slightest second, before straightening up again, the smile having reappeared. "So, my boy, what happened?"

Toby scratched his head, a frown playing at his lips. "Well I was going to look for Luna, because she randomly disappeared on me," he started, using this opportunity to shoot a confused look at Luna. The Ravenclaw just smiled mysteriously when her eyes met Toby's, before going back to observing the room with her dreamy stare. "I was rounding a corner—"

"_Toby_!"

Madae Pomfrey winced again as the door slammed open, scowling but allowing it to pass as she saw Sarah Williams rush into the room, her hair askew and her cheeks flushed. She had obviously run all the way there from a long distance (her room in the Gryffindor Tower, not that anyone knew that).

"Hi Sarah," Toby replied a bit dully, not looking forward to the massive worry-fest that was sure to arrive, complimentary of his overprotective sister. But Sarah didn't seem to catch onto that as she stopped beside Ginny, reaching out and smoothing her hand over his pale cheek.

"Oh gosh, you're so pale!" she exclaimed, and Toby rolled his eyes.

"I'm _always_ pale, Sarah," he reminded her dryly. "I don't tan, I burn, remember?" His sister seemed to pause at his statement, but she went right back to her fussing, motherly ways. (Or would that be sisterly ways?)

"Even so, you're paler than usual," she said, trying to get him to lie back down. "You should rest a bit more. What happened, anyways? It's not Saturday yet." The last part was whispered quietly, but Ginny caught it as she was standing close enough, and Luna probably did too, but she looked rather preoccupied or distracted so it was hard to tell.

"We were just in the process of finding out," Snape spoke up from behind Sarah, his sneer evident in his voice. "So if you would very kindly refrain from making any more obvious observations, Mr. Williams can continue." Sarah stiffened as she straightened, shooting a dirty look at Snape, who was busy glaring at Toby to notice. The Gryffindors, and McGonagall, were all quite confused with the interaction between the potions master and the muggle, but Dumbledore simply continued to smile his benign smile, waiting patiently.

"No need to get your knickers in a twist," Toby spoke up from behind the two of them, a uncomfortable look on his face, "there isn't really much to tell."

One of Snape's eyebrows arched up as he fixed Toby with another sneer. "Nothing to tell, Mr. Williams? As I recall, _you_ were the one who ran to _us_, proclaiming there was a corpse residing somewhere behind you," he reminded his student, shoving Luna aside and looming over Toby lying in his bed. Ginny caught the Ravenclaw, who was entirely unperturbed as she suddenly vaulted to the side. Sarah's eyes flashed dangerously.

"Back off." Her voice was low and dangerous as she stepped forward, her face inches away from Snape's. She was able to match his terrifying aura, even though he still had a few inches on her. But what gave her the advantage was her vibrant pair of green eyes, burning with an intensity that made Snape's widen in shock, before an even angrier snarl came bursting from his lips. He only relented after he heard Dumbledore chiding him softly, urging him to step back and allow the Williams siblings some space.

"This is a hospital wing, not a war zone," Dumbledore said, not necessarily to scold them but just to remind them. "And I do believe Mr. Williams will have an easier time explaining himself if he is not interrupted periodically." Here, the headmaster turned his calming smile to Toby, who shot him a grateful one in return.

"Well, I meant it when I said there's not much to tell," he admitted honestly, flushing a bit and scratching the back of his head. "To be honest, I don't remember anything past turning a corner."

It was silent for only the briefest moment.

"_WHAT?_"

"NO YELLING IN MY HOSPITAL WING!"

"Poppy, dear, you're also yelling."

"Really, Albus, must you antagonize her?"

"Listen here, _boy_, this is not a laughing matter, and so if you believe that this petty idea of a _joke_ is funny—"

"Hey! I told you to back off, _Snake_. And for your information, Toby doesn't _lie_—"

"If you truly believe that a_ child_ is entirely incapable of spouting little stories to save their own insignificant hides then you must be stupider than I originally thought—"

"My sister's not stupid!"

"I don't want to hear a word out of you unless it pertains to a sudden relapse of memory, _boy_."

"Don't talk to him like that! If he says he doesn't remember, than he doesn't remember."

"I don't think you realize the severity of the situation. We have a _petrified student_ with a _melted camera_ just on the other side of this room!"

Snape's finger was jabbed directly at Harry, Hermione, and Ron's faces, who all jumped and looked somewhat guilty for eavesdropping. Colin Creevey lay in a bed behind them, his arms fixed above his body.

"And I don't think you realize that if Toby's subconscious has blocked one of his memories for casual perusal, then it must have done so for a good reason!"

"Subconscious?" Snape scoffed. "Figures a _muggle_ would have an excuse to pardon their own misgivings."

Sarah's eyes flashed dangerously again.

"Figures a _wizard_ would have their heads shoved so far up their asses that they fail to realize we're not in the _eighteenth fucking century anymore!_"

There were several gasps resounding across the room, but Sarah paid them no heed, not taking her deadly glare off of the shocked potions professor. She faintly heard Toby saying, "Language, Sarah."

Snape opened his mouth to retort only to be interrupted when the hospital wing doors burst open _yet again_, displaying a set of prefects who were jointly levitating a body into the room. "Madame Pomfrey, help!" they exclaimed, panicked. Poppy immediately took charge, levitating the woman onto an empty hospital bed and dragging her eye briefly over the body. Her eyes flickered up to lock with Dumbledore's, voice grave.

"She's been petrified."

Dumbledore's eyes slid closed, almost like he was battling with himself internally. "I see," he replied. "I did not think that the perpetrator would go as far as to attack the professors as well, but it seems I am proven wrong." He sighed, a quiet but tired sigh as he turned around, thinking deeply about what he was going to do. Obviously they still had to wait for the mandrakes before being able to de-petrify anyone, but that could takes months. It was clear that he should cancel the rest of the Muggle Studies classes for this year, and allow the students to make it up next year.

But then he caught sight of Sarah standing beside her brother's bed, still staring at the frozen body of Charity Burbage, their resident expert on muggles. It was then that it hit him. Who was a better expert on a muggle if not a muggle herself?

And Dumbledore smiled brightly, catching Sarah's eye as she looked in confusion at him.

"Shall I tell the students that Muggle Studies will be cancelled for the rest of the year?" Professor McGonagall asked, only to be surprised when Dumbledore shook his head. She recognized that twinkle in his eye, and it either meant something brilliant had come to him, or something insane. Either way, the Transfiguration professor knew that it would give her heaps of headaches. (She really needed to find a new job; or at least a new boss.)

"No, no, there is no need for us to deprive the students of their learning, Minerva," he replied, stepping forward towards Sarah. "I'm sure we can find an excellent replacement for Charity." McGonagall blinked, her eyebrows furrowing.

"Albus, are you sure? I can't think of any wizard who would be available this late in the year." But Dumbledore just smiled his benign smile and clasped his withered hands together, bobbing his head slightly to the young woman standing before him.

"Neither can I, Minerva. But I wasn't really thinking about hiring a _wizard_ replacement."

_

* * *

A/N _Wow, it's been a long time since I've written an author's note, eh? But I realize that a lot of you are wondering why Snape hates Toby so much (it's especially obvious in this chapter), so I thought 'why not turn this into a guessing game?'

It's pretty simple and similar to the previous games. You can only guess once, and if you're right I will PM you. I'm making things a little different, though. First of all, usually you all find out the answer to the question in the next chapter, but I will not be giving out the answer to this question in the next chapter. So yes, you will be left hanging. Sorry! You'll find out later on, though, but _way _later on.

As for the reward; usually I would give someone a sneak peek of the next chapter, but this time I decided to give out something a little different. For those people who get the answer right, they will be able to ask me a question about _anything_ in my crossover. So if you're wondering who Toby's gonna end up with, I'll tell you. If you're wondering when Sarah and Jareth are finally gonna get together, I'll tell you. If you're wondering how Sarah and Toby are gonna mess up the canon HP timeline, I'll tell you.

That being said, all I ask is that you keep all this information to yourself. If I find out anyone leaked information that I've told them, then I will stop these little games and wait half a year (6 months) before I post the next chapter. I know that seems harsh, but I don't like being taken advantage of; I'm sure you don't either. Capiche?

To give you a bit of a heads-up, obviously this question isn't going to easy. So the answer isn't something like "because Toby's muggleborn" or "because Sarah's his sister and she's a muggle". Try digging a little deeper :)

Also, an extra little mini-game for you guys. Notice how Merlin is considered like the God of magical people? So whenever a wizard wants to say "Oh God!" they say "Oh Merlin!"? Well I started to think; what other sayings do they have? So my challenge for you is to think of a phrase we say a lot, and come up with a magical equivalent for it.

Example: "Holy Christ!" is the muggle equivalent of "Magical Merlin!"

The prize is really just that I'll use your saying in the next chapter (and give you proper credit for it, of course). So I hope to see a lot of creative magical equivalents! And this game isn't restricted to just this chapter. You can throw a phrase at me anytime!

Alright, I think I've said all I needed to say. Happy guessing! :)

Snowflake Flower


	10. Not Everyone is Who They Seem

**Of Hogwarts and Inheritances**

**Chapter 9: Not Everyone is Who They Seem  
**

Toby rubbed the back of his neck a little self-consciously as he stepped into the Great Hall, where a long platform was set up in the middle of the room. The rest of the hall was a sea of black-robed Hogwarts students, all clamouring up to the edge of the duelling walkway to get the best look. Toby could see Sarah on the other side of the room, looking a little bored as she leaned against the wall, also clothed in a black robe. There were bags under her eyes, and he figured she must've stayed up all night trying to learn the Muggle Studies curriculum. He didn't see why she was rushing; her classes didn't start until after the holidays.

Toby turned his attention back to the platform when Ginny tugged excitedly on his robe, whilst Luna continued to sway gently, humming under her breath. Professor Lockhart was climbing onto the stage, his purple robes a stark contrast to the mist of black. Beside him was Professor Snape, who was looking distinctively bored. Toby soon found out the reason for that, as the Defense teacher began an introductory speech explaining the club and how he would be contributing to it.

"Professor Snape has graciously accepted to help me demonstrate a duel, and the lovely Professor Williams," he paused here, gesturing to Sarah who rolled her eyes discreetly, "has agreed to be the referee in our match." Toby stifled a snicker when Sarah grudgingly pushed off the wall, the students parting for her as she took her place in the centre of the room, beside the platform. She ignored Snape's harsh glare, standing bored as she waited for the two wizards to get into position.

"Bow," she intoned monotonously, staring straight ahead and not bothering to look as the two bowed to each other. They were still bent at the waist when Sarah called out, "Duel!" and Snape's wand flashed out, quickly stunning the Defense professor.

Sarah didn't even bat an eyelash.

"Snape wins." With that said she turned around and walked back to her wall, leaving Lockhart lying dumbfounded on the platform. He seemed at a loss for the briefest moment, before laughing jovially and standing up with a swish of his ostentatious purple robes, straightening them. Toby tuned him out as he went on about letting Snape win the match, or something. It didn't really matter much to Toby; one of his most hated professors was just annihilated, but the professor who won was still someone he hated. It was a lose-lose situation for him.

"So! Now that there has been a demonstration, what say we call up some of you to duel for us?" he asked, and the students started chattering excitedly. Toby scratched his head, wishing he was anywhere but here. Who wanted to see a bunch of fail matches anyways? But Ginny had dragged him and Luna, her eyes bright with the prospect of seeing Harry Potter in a duel. Toby almost asked her why she was so sure he'd be picked to duel, but wisely shut his mouth after remembering that Harry Potter was famous (for whatever reason Toby can't recall) and Professor Lockhart was famous (for whatever reason Toby can recall even _less_) and obviously Lockhart would be eager to put a fellow celebrity in the spotlight.

Yay.

As Toby yawned, already thoroughly bored, he was oblivious to Lockhart's eyes spotting him out in the crowd, narrowing in on his bored, half-asleep expression. You see, if there was one thing that rivalled Toby's abhorrence of the glittering goat that was Gilderoy Lockhart, it was Lockhart's abhorrence of the smart-mouthed, devil-may-care teen that was Tobias Robert Williams. And since said teen was looking decidedly ripe for the picking to be trounced in a fight against one of his betters, Lockhart jumped at the chance.

"How about… you, Mr. Williams?"

Toby blinked, dumbfounded. Beside him, he could hear Ginny gasp and Luna hum nonchalantly under her breath. "Oh, why not Toby?" she went on in her dreamy voice. "It sounds like fun." Toby grimaced, though, when he spotted Sarah's stormy expression across the hall. If he decided to go, he would be undoubtedly falling into Lockhart's trap (because really, if anyone knew how the two interacted with each other they would know this was definitely a trap) and getting Sarah majorly pissed off. But if he didn't go, he would look like a total wimp, and Lockhart would get full bragging rights about showing that kid with the smart-aleck attitude.

Hmm, decisions, decisions. Good thing this particular one wasn't so hard.

"Sure why not?" Toby shrugged, weaving through the crowd to jump onto the platform. He could feel Sarah's glares digging into the back of his brain, but ignored them. She always worried way too much anyways.

"And for his opponent… how about you, Ms. Granger?"

The entire crowd gasped, whispers breaking out everywhere. Pitting the smartest witch in Hogwarts against a simple, ickle first year? Everyone in that crowd felt the slightest bit of sympathy for the Slytherin kid. He was going to be crushed. Maybe literally, maybe figuratively. Probably both.

But Toby just stood up on that duelling platform, tapping his toes impatiently, waiting for the smartest witch at Hogwarts to join him. When she did, she looked a bit uncomfortable, probably because her Gryffindor peers wanted her to obliterate the Slytherin but she was more content to let it end quickly and as least humiliatingly as possible. It didn't matter to Toby either way; he was determined to make this the flashiest display of prowess possible.

"Bow," Lockhart said, disgustingly smug. Toby twirled his wand in his hand idly, keeping his ice blue eyes locked on the top of Hermione's head as they both bent forward at the waist. Obviously, alongside being a total idiot, Lockhart wasn't so original either, because just as Toby was about to rise from his bow, Lockhart gleefully shouted, "Duel!" and Hermione's wand came flashing out, a Jelly-Legs Jinx already on her tongue, and flying right at him.

Calmly, Toby took a single step back and let the curse rebound off the floor and fly into the ceiling, past the enchanted sky. His arm was stretched out, wand dancing nimbly on his fingers as he said monotonously, "Bat-bogey." (He was so glad Ginny finally taught him that spell.) The spell flew out of the tip of his wand in a blindingly bright light (Ginny was still trying to figure out how he did that) and shot towards Hermione at a dizzying speed unheard of from a first year. It knocked into her nose, and the two bogeys came out like growling monsters.

Her eyes narrowed (she had obviously misjudged his talent) and she _finite incantatem_ed the two bogeys, causing them to fall in a disgusting mess in front of her. The students around her backed away, simultaneously chorusing "ewwww!" and prompting Hermione to roll her eyes. She quickly recovered, blasting a _rictusempra _to Toby, who stepped to the side and retaliated with a cheering charm. Hermione was ready for that, though, and quickly ducked, letting it sail over her head as she cast an _everte statum_ at him. The crowd oohed when it slammed into him, sending him flying back. Poor bloke never stood a chance.

Except he suddenly disappeared in midair with a blinding flash of light, reappearing in his starting spot for only the slightest second before charging into a run straight at his opponent. Hermione squeaked in fear, raising her own wand and firing another _everte statum_ at him, only for it to sail past his head as he tackled her to the ground, snatching her wand in the process.

"Ha!" Toby shouted triumphantly, holding her wand in the air away from her, only for Hermione to push him off of her with surprising power, scowling at him. "What? Sore because I won?" he asked cheekily, twirling her wand between his fingers. She rolled her eyes again, snatching it back as Lockhart entered the arena with an incredibly smug grin.

"Mr. Williams, you are disqualified," he said. "Only magical means may be used in a duel; Ms. Granger wins by default."

Toby's mouth dropped open, and his eyes narrowed. From the corner of his eye, he saw his goblins and Sarah standing by the edge of the platform, watching and listening as he blurted out harshly, "Who the hell made that stupid rule?"

Sarah started to smile, and his goblins tittered in amusement as their young master rose onto his feet, as graceful as the wind. Lockhart was anything but, turning red and sputtering angrily, "A rule is a rule, Mr. Williams!"

"Well rules are meant to be broken, aren't they?" Toby countered, eyes narrowing. "I'm not gonna bow to some Dull Muncher who wants to off me the first chance he gets. And I'm sure as hell not gonna keep my hands to myself if I got an opening to sock him in the face." Most of the people were confused by his slang, and even more confused by his mention of a 'Dull Muncher'. Hermione, who was following this conversation quite closely, caught on the quickest.

"Erm, don't you mean Death Eater?" she said, correcting him like she was good at doing to everyone. Toby turned half-heartedly to her, shrugging nonchalantly.

"Death Muncher, Dull Eater, it's all the same to me. Case in point: your duelling rules are schmuck. Make new ones." That said, Toby hopped off the duelling platform, leisurely making his way to the doors. The crowd readily parted for him, staring as though he were some anomaly dropped upon their heads to be marvelled at, but not touched. (Which is to say, they're right.)

Harry Potter, in particular, was closely examining the new student of Hogwarts. There was an unmistakable expression on his face that conveyed his confusion regarding Toby Williams. But there was interest, too, because what wizard scoffed at Death Eaters and _forgot_ their names?

Toby Williams, apparently, who stopped momentarily at the doors to declare, "By the way; I totally won that match."

...

...

...

"Merlin's beard~"

"Oh sweet baby Merlin's beard~"

"Where have you gone?"

"Oh you precious, precious thing,"

"You, sweet baby Merlin's beard~!"

Gred and Forge ambled down the hall, arms slung over each other's shoulders, singing at the top of their ungodly, off-pitch, cat-dying voices. They had been quite bored the past few weeks, pulling small pranks to abate their prankster appetites and making up nonsensical songs to annoy lots of people with. There was really no one to annoy in the empty hallways, however, but they were sure they would stumble upon someone soon.

They were right.

"What the bloody hell are you trying to do; mimic Nanny Fran?" (1)

The twins brightened with devilish glee.

"Prince!" they crowed, their free arms slinging around Toby's body, crushing him in a (manly) hug. Toby grimaced under their hold, feeling a little claustrophobic.

"Please don't break my spine," he asked politely. They let go, still grinning from ear to ear. The two of them were bright red suns, sparkling and shining and blinding in the empty hallway as they jumped on their feet with excitement. The Prince usually didn't go to them unless he had a _big_ prank in mind, and with the way he was grinning back at them, the twins were sure it was going to be _big_ and _funny_ _as bloody hell_.

"Lockhart?" the twins chorused, seeing the 'I'm-going-to-get-revenge-on-someone' expression on Toby's face. Toby nodded grimly.

"Lockhart."

...

...

...

Hermione strolled down to the Great Hall happily for breakfast, hugging her DADA essay to her chest with barely restrained excitement. Professor Lockhart had complimented her so greatly after her match with Professor Sarah's litter brother! It made her blush up to the roots of her hair; she was currently the envy of so many girls in the school. She couldn't wait to give him her essay! He was going to burst with pride! She had made sure to include every one of his exploits in her points, and all the medals and acknowledgements he had received mentioned in every one of their points. It wasn't easy, mind you; there were a lot!

What's best, her plan seemed to be going along. The potion was just about ready, and she managed to snag some of Millicent Bullstrode's hair from that extra duel she had (Professor Lockhart said it was because she was so good that he was sure she could take on another opponent!). She just wished Harry and Ron could be like that a little more. It wasn't easy looking after them, especially Harry! Sometimes she felt more like a mother than a friend.

Surreptitiously, Hermione snuck a glance behind her to observe her two boys chatting about quidditch, or something or other. They were woefully oblivious to her, striding confidently ahead of them, following like little puppies. And although most people would enjoy a leader role, Hermione thought it was kind of a lonely place to be. That's probably why she wished to be walking _beside_ them, as opposed to in front of them.

Sighing a little, Hermione entertained her thoughts with more of Professor Lockhart and his impeccable sense of style (according to Witch Weekly, because Hermione didn't really know that much about the fashion of Magical Britain) as she pushed the doors of the Great Hall, entering at a most horrifying site.

Faintly, the bookworm could hear uproarious laughter echoing at the Gryffindor table, and would later wonder what _beast_ would laugh at this clearly heartbreaking scene! The crushing of a smitten young girl's heart was nothing to laugh at, she would assure you. Especially if said crushing involved Professor Lockhart in hideous hot pink, lacy, ruffled robes, sprawled on top of Headmaster Dumbledore in the middle of the Great Hall, _kissing _him!

"Oh!" Hermione squeaked, dropping her bag and books and wonderfully crafted DADA essay onto the floor. Her face was burning red, a stark contrast to Professor Lockhart's blinding white one as he scrambled onto his feet, backing away, jaw open in complete shock.

"Well," Headmaster Dumbledore mused in joviality as he sat up, "at least we all know why you seem to have no particular interest in women, Gilderoy."

Hermione promptly fainted.

...

...

...

Harry saw Hermione going down before her knees started buckling. Quickly, he shot forward, Ron a second behind him but a second too late as Hermione fell into his chest. He wrapped his arms around her stomach, taking her weight onto him, slowly easing them to the floor. Gradually, Harry worked his arms upward until he could gently lay Hermione's head (and all her bushy hair) onto the floor of the Great Hall. Ron was still in too much shock to do anything after Hermione was okay, staring at the white-faced Lockhart and the benignly smiling headmaster.

Harry wanted to shuffle forward and grab all of Hermione's homework (Merlin knows she would freak if she saw them sprawled ungainly all over the floor like that) but decided it was probably best to remain still, waiting for the totally and completely awkward situation to die down before he did so. It was kind of hard, however, when that Slytherin kid and Fred and George kept laughing like hyenas at the Gryffindor table.

"Toby Williams!" Sarah screeched, flying out of her seat, her dark hair static in the room, giving her a frightening appearance as she thundered down the Great Hall. There was already a reprimand on her tongue that everyone could hear before she even started saying it. Toby could hear it too, but he was unique in the fact that he knew how to weather it before it landed him in load of trouble. Sort of.

"I take full credit for the robes, but that kiss was _all_ Lockhart," Toby snickered, the twins laughing harder behind him at the mentioned kiss. A bunch of other boys started snickering, the sheer hilarity of the situation suddenly dawning on them. And also the opportunity. Especially since it was breaking about all the hearts of the witches in the Great Hall. (And if they had broken hearts, they needed someone to come along and mend them, right?)

It was at this point that Lockhart whirled around, face now red with rage, stomping towards Toby. "You!" he exclaimed. Toby grinned innocently.

"Hello professor. Is there something I can do for you?" he asked. Sarah stepped forward, to try and intervene.

"Professor Lockhart," Sarah started, ready to apologize. As much as she didn't like this man, common courtesy called she ask for his forgiveness in lieu of her brother, who was sure to just make the situation worse. But it seemed like that was unnecessary, as she was cut off by the very man she was trying to apologize to.

"Get out of my way, stupid muggle, I have no time for your daft idiocies," he rattled off, not really aware of what he was saying until he had said them. By then, it was too late. There was something very scary that appeared in the air, simmering menacingly. It was coming from the little boy in front of him and the old, respected wizard behind him, but most prominently from the "stupid muggle" at his side. And before he knew it, Gilderoy Lockhart found himself pressed against the edge of the Gryffindor table, Sarah Williams only a hairs breath away from his face, her green eyes glittering dangerously. Their position was quite provocative, taken at face-value, but that was because no one could see past Lockhart's voluminous pink robes and to Sarah's hand, which was slowly, torturously, _painfully_, squeezing his testicles.

"I'm sorry," she said, her voice soft and sweet, breath puffing tantalizingly against his face, "I didn't quite hear you. Would you say that again, please?"

Lockhart wheezed in reply. Sarah smiled.

"I thought that's what you said."

She released him, letting him double over and curl up in a fetal position on the floor, scaring a bunch of the students. Sarah herself was nonchalant about her violent actions, casually stepping over the DADA professor and making her way to a still comatose Hermione. She had only taken a few steps though, before Lockhart had dug out his wand, pointing it at her and wheezing out, "_Alarte Ascendare!_" Sarah's eyes widened, not exactly sure what that spell did, but squeezing her eyes shut and waiting for the impact, knowing it was probably something horrible.

What actually happened, however, was someone leapt in front of her, taking the spell full on. The spell catapulted them into the air, and Sarah (not to mention every single person in the Great Hall) watched them sail in a mess of black to the other side of the hall. The person crash landed into the staff's table, upsetting the empty plates and platters, making them clang noisily in the room. "Severus!" the Headmaster cried, and Sarah's mouth dropped open. (Her and every other person in the entire school.)

Snape?

Toby looked at his sister, her face mirroring his own. Why would the Head of the Slytherins want to protect a muggle? Especially after he just had that horrible screaming match with her the other day?

"I'm fine," Severus grunted out tersely, standing up. His fierce, cold gaze was trained on one eyesore of a professor, who blanched. Sarah watched him closely, until he turned his scathing glare on her. She blinked, refusing to flinch and show weakness, but turning her face away in shame. That seemed to make Snape angrier, but Sarah was preoccupied with her gaze suddenly falling on an unconscious Hermione.

"Is she alright?" Sarah asked Harry, who nodded as she walked over to him.

"I think she just fainted from shock. Should we take her to Madame Pomfrey's?" Sarah tried to ignore the frosty glare tainting her back, nodding to Harry.

"Yeah, she'll be a little disoriented when she wakes up. It'll be better for her to wake up in someplace quiet." And the Great Hall was definitely not that place, as Sarah struggled to talk over the hushed whispering. Dumbledore was standing idly by, smiling gently and watching McGonagall and the other professors attempting to calm the chaos.

Harry nodded, reaching out for Hermione again to pick her up. Sarah stopped him, smiling kindly. "I can do it, Harry," she told him. He seemed a bit surprised, but shrugged and tottered off to pick up her books. It took a little more prodding for Ron's eyes to be extracted from the quivering Lockhart, but he quickly followed them out of the hall and to the infirmary, leaving the infantile mess of panic behind them.

...

...

...

The next time Sarah saw Hermione, it was in her Muggle Studies office the next day. The young girl was pink with embarrassment, clutching the strap of her book bag as she stood awkwardly in the doorway.

"Hello Hermione," Sarah greeted, stopping in the middle of shuffling papers. Hermione bobbed her head.

"Hello Professor Sarah," she replied in kind. Sarah sighed exasperatedly.

"Hermione I'm not a prof—wait, yes I am," she corrected, cutting herself off as she stared at her desk. A hearty laugh burst forth from her lips as she dropped her pen on her desk, running a hand through her long dark hair. "Never thought it would happen, but here I am," she giggled, before sweeping her hand towards the seat in front of her desk. "Why don't you sit down? Was there something you needed?"

Hermione shuffled forward, still a bit pink in the cheeks as she plopped onto the seat, cradling her book bag in her arms. "Yes, I just wanted to thank you for… for yesterday." Sarah looked up from observing one of the curriculum papers, mildly surprised. Hermione blushed. "For carrying me to the hospital wing." A look of realization dawned on Sarah's face, and she chuckled.

"You don't have to thank me; I was happy to do it," Sarah informed her, turning her green eyes fully on the young girl. Hermione fidgeted in her seat, still playing with the strap of her book bag. Sarah smiled in interest, tilting her head in curiosity. "Was there something else you needed me for, Hermione?" she asked, and Hermione stiffened. Her lips pursed, and Sarah leaned forward in her seat. "I promise I won't get mad."

Hermione relaxed at that, brushing some of her hair behind her ear. She looked a bit nervous, but there was a determination in her face that Sarah admired. "I was… I was wondering what your… your feelings regarding Professor Lockhart are."

Sarah paused. Hermione shifted uneasily in her seat.

The dark-haired woman sighed tiredly, running another hand through her long locks and relaxing back in her chair. Hermione could see a slight tenseness in her shoulders, though, betraying her own unease with the subject. "Would you like the truth or my horrible attempt at politeness?" she asked finally, tapping her fingernails on the desk. Hermione sat up in her chair, eyes flaring.

"The truth, naturally," she replied. Sarah grinned and decided that one day, Hermione Granger was going to make one hell of a lawyer.

"I think he's a fraud," Sarah stated simply, shifting her gaze to the window, watching the blue skies. She didn't see the shocked expression on the young girl's face; she didn't need to.

"But… but why? All of his travels are documented in his books! All the evidence matches!" Hermione exclaimed, shooting out of her seat. Sarah spared her a cursory glance.

"Anyone can write a book; especially about another person's life."

"But…"

"He's a fraud, Hermione. He can't do anything except tote that big, inflated head of his around. He can't teach, he can't cast worth a damn, he can't _duel_; do I really need to go on?" she asked, looking at Hermione, who was white. She shook her head, slowly, disbelievingly. Her hands were tightened in a terrifying grip on the strap of her satchel.

"No… no, I'm… I've gathered everything I need here, Professor. Thank you." Stiffly, she nodded her head, turning around and walking out the doors. Sarah watched her go a bit sadly, knowing that she was smart enough to realize who Lockhart really was. But it didn't hurt any less; deception never went over well with any person. I went over even less once _feelings_ were involved.

...

...

...

Sarah sighed, walking back up from the dungeons to head back to her room. She was currently on the fourth floor, listening to the echoing of her shoes on the stone floor, feeling a bit uneasy in the huge, empty castle. Well, maybe not empty, since it was housing about a thousand students, but definitely it felt deserted to an extent. But she wanted to walk Toby back to his dorm, giving him some reassurance that she was there before he dove into the Snake's Den. (Or the Slytherin Common Room; whichever title you preferred.)

She was heading up to a corner when there were sounds of scuffling close by. Sarah stopped, listening closely to a low voice cursing gently, and the high pitched laughter of Peeves that indicated he had successfully annoyed someone's day.

"PEEVES!" the pranked person snarled, and Sarah rushed towards the voice, which was just around the corner.

"Hee hee haa!" Peeves giggled. "Ickle Snivellus can't handle the pouty poltergeist?" he asked, and Sarah was taken back for a moment by the hurtful nickname. Especially when it made Snape turn that unhealthy shade of red.

"Peeves, get out of here!" Sarah exclaimed, stomping towards the poltergeist. Peeves turned his devilish grin to her, fingering his empty bucket of water. He had already doused it all over Snape, whom Sarah had chosen to stand in front of; protect. "I mean it Peeves; if you don't leave I'm going to sic the Bloody Baron on you tomorrow!" Peeves danced around in the air for a bit, mimicking a worried damsel in distress before cackling and flying up into the ceiling. Sarah breathed a sigh of relief when he left, turning her gaze to a huddled Snape. "Are you okay?" she asked. He glared at her.

"I do not need your petty sympathy," he told her curtly, standing up and grimacing at his wet robes. Sarah flushed.

"I'm not offering it," she told him harshly. "This is just payback; I owe you from yesterday." There was a pause here as she contemplated something, tilting her head at him. Snape was nervous under her bright green gaze. She took a step closer to him; he took a step back. "Why'd you do it?"

"Do what?" Her eyes narrowed at him.

"You know what." He adjusted the sleeves of his long shirt.

"I don't believe I follow, Ms. Williams," he insisted, prompting Sarah to roll her eyes.

"Don't give me this devil-may-care attitude, Snape. You protected me in that hall, in front of the _entire_ school, when everyone sees you as a stick-in-the-mud with a vendetta for every single stinking mudblood in the world."

"Not _all_—" he started, only to realize what he was saying and snap his jaw shut. Sarah blinked in surprise. He flushed red, ducking his head and letting his greasy hair cover his face. The potions master looked oddly vulnerable like that, and Sarah's heart gave out to him. A lot of children covered up their fragile hearts with nasty attitudes; maybe Snape was just another big baby.

Sarah smiled gently at the thought and stepped forward, reaching under Snape's hair to lay her hand on his cheek. He backed away quickly, eyes wide with shock. Her hand was left hanging in the air, caressing a ghost; a shadow of a man who cried silent tears. It was powerful.

"Thank you for protecting me," she whispered softly, letting the echoes strengthen her voice. Snape stared at her through his glittering dark eyes, breathing harshly in the night air. He seemed torn, but between what Sarah couldn't figure out.

"I had to," he told her, looking away when he felt as though his eyes gave too much of himself to the woman. His best friend had always told him his black eyes bore his soul, but she was the only one able to read them as clear as day. "The headmaster did not want your… _immunity_ to be revealed so early on."

Sarah froze. "You… you know?" she breathed. Her body tottered back. Snape turned his gaze back on her, sensing her weakness and composing himself because of it. Sarah turned her face away, covering her hand with her mouth. That information was confidential! No on was supposed to know about it except her and the headmaster. Why… why did Snape—

"The Headmaster tells me everything," Snape said, as if that made it okay. Sarah snapped her gaze to him, a glare forming over her face. He remained expressionless at her anger; her rage.

"How wonderful for you," she snapped at him. "Like best buds, are you? Huddling under unicorn blankets and whispering secrets to each other; I'm sure it's all very informing!" Not wanting to explode in a fit of rage and attempt a mutilation right in that hallway, Sarah turned on her heel and stalked back to her bedroom, where she flung herself on her bed and let her anger simmer into her sleep, never realizing the raw, unadulterated pain that raged on in Snape's fathomless dark eyes.


	11. Sarah: Trust Me

**Of Hogwarts and Inheritances**

**Chapter 11: Sarah: Trust Me**

"Are you done?" Toby whined, leaning against the wall beside the Great Hall doors, staring listlessly into space. Ginny hushed him, peeking through the doors and into the hall. She rose her wand, whispering an incantation (probably her bat-bogey hex) before grabbing Toby's hand and sprinting away. Luna followed them at a much more leisurely pace, humming softly to herself and keeping Toby's goblins company as they crashed into each other while trying to run after their young master.

A few seconds later, Ernie Macmillian ran out of the Great Hall, screaming as his bogeys, in monster form, chased him down the halls. Ginny looked smug, her eyes following the Hufflepuff while Toby just spared him a cursory glance.

"Amateur," he teased, and Ginny glared at him.

"Troublemaker," she shot back.

"Blibbering Humdinger," Luna piped up from behind them. They both turned to look at her, faces questioning. She blinked, shrugging. "I thought we were playing a game."

"Unfortunately not," Toby corrected, grinning in amusement at the strange way her brain worked. "Anyways, the carriages are going to leave soon, so we should go and get our stuff," he reminded them, heading off to the entrance to the dungeons. "I'll grab us a booth!" he exclaimed, waving goodbye as he made his way down the Viaduct. Ginny and Luna both lived in towers, so it would probably take awhile for them to get their stuff to the carriage and the train. It was decided beforehand that Toby would take the first set of carriages and grab them a seat; Merlin knows how slow girls can be.

He was just nearing the entrance to the Snake's Den when he saw Sarah waiting patiently outside it. She spotted him coming down the hallway, smiling and waving. Toby quickened his step, not liking that his sister was standing blissfully unarmed in front of the Snake's Den; he made a mental note to have Maelicious guard her for a few weeks.

"Hi Sarah," he greeted.

"Hi Toby," she replied. There was a somewhat nervous smile on her face, as if she was afraid to tell him something. So he figured he might as well ask.

"What's up?" Her face turned a little whiter.

"Well… we're going home." Toby blinked, nodding his head.

"Uh-huh. For the holidays. Didn't you get the memo?" Toby joked, grinning. The entire castle had been decorated with Christmas ornaments and other such paraphernalia. Toby was glad he had narrowly avoided stepping under a mistletoe with Ginny or Luna; that would have been awkward.

But Sarah's face just turned a bit grimmer. "And… and you know that dad and Irene are going to be home… right?"

Toby opened his mouth to reply, "Duh, of course!" but the sound died in his throat as he remembered that being magical wasn't exactly the most commonly known fact in his family. Rather, it was a secret kept sacred by the two siblings of the Williams household, whom had planned to keep said secret out of the ears of their parents until they both died. Toby never really understood why, but he had always trusted Sarah's judgement; she never lead him wrong before. Of course, Toby didn't know that the reason Sarah didn't want their parents to know why Toby had magic was because then she had to explain that he probably got them as a side-effect of her wishing him away to the Goblin King.

Yeah. Like that'd go well.

But now, Sarah had the excuse of an actual entire community of magic users to blame it on. It was no longer a liability to her credibility as a sister; however, that didn't necessarily mean the news would swing all that well with Robert and Irene Williams. It wasn't as if the two were consistently exposed to strange happenings in the house. Toby had an eerily excellent control of his magic; far more advanced than a simple, ickle firstie. But it wasn't as if Irene and Robert would know that; all they would know was that their son was a freak.

"Are they going to hate me?" Toby asked quietly, and Sarah's mouth dropped open in shock.

"No, of course they won't hate you," Sarah replied vehemently, hugging him tightly even as the doubts gnawed at her own heart. "Why would you ever think something like that? No matter what, Toby, your family will always love you. Always." She emphasized that last word by shaking him a bit in her arms, cradling his head against the juncture of her neck and shoulder. Toby gripped her shirt in his tiny fingers, hanging on like she was his last breath.

"'Kay," he mumbled. The eleven-year old pulled away, looking a little more composed. "I gotta go; need to get a compartment." He tottered towards the common room entrance, Sarah watching him, knowing he was probably still a little shaken by the revelation but comforted by the fact that even if Sarah was wrong, even if his parents hated him and were disgusted by him, at least his sister would be there to hold him up. And that was enough.

Toby paused for the slightest moment before he disappeared, turning in her direction and calling her name. "Sarah, are you going to ride on the train?" he asked, knowing the teachers usually didn't, but Sarah was different from them and would do whatever she wanted anyways. He hoped she said yes; he wanted to formally introduce her to Ginny and Luna. They had only met briefly when he was in the hospital wing.

But Sarah shook her head, looking rather pained as she did it. "I… have some last minute things I need to do," she admitted. It wasn't too out of the ordinary; Sarah wasn't the most organized person in the world. But still, the realization that she wouldn't be coming was yet another bruise to his heart, and he felt so acutely the feeling that they were drawing further apart. That she was trying to draw herself farther and farther away.

"Oh… okay. That's cool. Then I'll see you at home?" Toby replied, trying to sound nonchalant. If he was younger, he might've started crying and screaming and begging her to come with him, but Toby wasn't a little kid anymore. He was growing up, growing into maturity, and it was with this new maturity that he simply smiled and waved goodbye at her, not even giving her a chance to respond as he ducked into the Slytherin Common Room. His fellow Slyths ignored him, as usual, which suited Toby just fine as he ducked into his dorm and made a beeline for his bed, collapsing face-first onto it.

"Young master?" Sqeek spoke up uncertainly from his nightstand table. The goblin liked to sleep there for some reason, amongst his knick-knacks. "Young master, you is gonna miss the no-horsey carries."

Toby didn't reply, which made the goblins nervous, their metal clanking against each other because of their nervous movements. Instead, he rose from the bed and went about gathering his things in a slow, methodical way. And the goblins weren't sure what was worse; the wet stains on his pillow or the impassive look in his eyes.

...

...

...

Hermione strolled confidently down the hallways, hugging a set of books to her chest, her bag bouncing purposefully against her hip. Harry and Ron were walking beside her, chattering on about some quidditch thing or another; she didn't really care. They were headed to the Great Hall for a late breakfast, given that neither of them planned on going home for the break.

Hermione thought back to the potion bubbling in the abandoned bathroom, pressing her lips together nervously. It was going along quite nicely, as per usual of her spectacular academic abilities, but the girl was just a little unsure about the upcoming "mission", as it were. She did not delight in breaking rules, despite her actions from both last year and this one. Not to mention the trouble they would get into if they got caught! Oh, expulsion, probably. Suspension if she was lucky.

The three of them entered the antechamber, Ron and Harry bustling ahead past her to the doors leading to the Great Hall, the smell of food wafting through their nostrils. Hermione lagged behind, and her eyes drifted over to the back of Harry's tousled, black hair. He was such an unorganized boy, she murmured in her head. Certainly he had nothing on Ron, she mused, smiling lightly, but there was something about Harry that called to the bookworm's heart. He always seemed so… lonely? No, not just lonely. Defeated? Introverted? Hermione was somewhat baffled she couldn't put a finger on it, given her extensive vocabulary. But she supposed that was to be expected. Harry was not a person described so simply; no one was, but he seemed to take the cake.

"Hermione?"

She jolted out of her thoughts, just noticing that she had stopped walking and was currently staring rather dazedly into Harry's bright green eyes. "Oh!" she exclaimed, taking hold on her bearings. "Sorry Harry, I was thinking about something."

"No, really?" Ron butted in, grinning at her. She mock-glared at him, and Harry laughed. The sound brought a smile to her face when she turned her head back to him; he needed to do that more.

"Do what more?" Harry asked, and Hermione blinked in shock as she realized she had spoken her thoughts aloud. Harry continued to stare at her, waiting for her answer. Even Ron was looking at her strangely, probably thinking something stupid like girls were weird.

Hermione opened her mouth to answer his question, when she caught sight of another green-eyed person in the Entrance Antechamber. It was the substitute Muggle Studies professor, the only muggle in the entirety of the Hogwarts Castle; Sarah Williams. Also known as the unrelentingly intelligent woman who splashed the waters of reality onto Hermione's dry eyes.

"Hello professor!" Hermione called out, catching the woman's attention. Harry and Ron both swivelled around to greet her as well, both a bit subdued in the presence of the muggle. Sarah simply nodded and smiled at them, her hands sequestered in the pockets of her denim jeans as she halted in front of them. She looked a bit stressed, but otherwise quite fine.

"Hi guys," she greeted casually. Sarah was a muggle born and raised, having lived her entire life in the muggle world, with all their technology and ideas of change. She was even more so the epitome of this fast-paced world because she had grown up in America, where liberality and informality was practised to a staggering degree. Britain, though never as conservative as their French neighbours, were – to a point – quite unchanging in their ways. (Take the queen, for instance.)

"What are you still doing here?" she asked. "The last carriages left a minute ago."

"We're staying for the hols," Ron informed her dully. Harry looked down at his feet, shuffling them nervously. Hermione watched him, a bit confused as to why he was suddenly so shy around the new professor.

"Oh! Well, I hope you have fun," she replied, her body turning to head off in another direction. She was stopped, though, by Harry's unsure voice breaking the momentary silence.

"Are you… are you staying too?" he asked, and Sarah turned to look at him. Her eyes locked with his, green against green, and she wondered why it seemed so comforting.

"Oh, well actually I just have some last minute things to do, and then I'm leaving," she replied, and he nodded a bit. The motion was jerky, almost unexpected.

"Okay."

Sarah stood awkwardly in the short distance between her and the trio of second years, wondering if someone else was going to say something. After a moment of dead air, she figured it was safe to move on, and quickly said her goodbyes and well wishes before turning and striding to the moving staircase. As she crossed the entirety of the antechamber, Sarah could still feel the acute gaze of Harry's eyes on her back.

It was gone once she turned the corner, but her thoughts remained on the trio of schoolchildren who had promptly escaped into the dining hall after her leave. She was surprised Hermione had even called out to her in the antechamber, given the last time they talked she had stormed out of the office with an increasingly confused look on her face. But the girl had seemed to have calmed down and held no grudge against Sarah for speaking her mind. Either she had decided to ignore Sarah's words altogether, or had reconciled with the truth. Either way, she seemed fairly at peace, and Sarah wasn't going to chuck a bomb right in the middle of it for any reason whatsoever.

That settled, Sarah turned her full focus to her current objective; having a firm talk with Headmaster Dumbledore about the meaning of _privacy_.

...

...

...

Toby scratched his head, one hand gripping his suitcase as he strolled leisurely down the hall of the train. He probably shouldn't have spent so much time lollygagging in the castle; all the compartments were taken. Ginny and Luna had probably realized he had been late, so he hoped they had secured one else they'd have to share with some strangers. The only way to find out, though, was for him to find them.

"Toby!"

Or for them to find him.

"Hi Ginny!" Toby exclaimed, turning and grinning at his red-haired friend. She was glaring at him, obviously a bit ticked that he had left them to fend for themselves. He chose to keep his mouth shut about it though, because telling her girls could be such damsels-in-distresses seemed dangerous at this point. And every Gryffindor had this… thing… about being called a coward. Or a weakling.

"Oh good," Luna spoke as he meandered into the small compartment, "the nargles didn't get to you." Toby grinned, hefting his suitcase on the overhead rack.

"Nope. Just barely managed to avoid them," he replied, flopping onto the seat. His goblins had followed him in, Skuell avoiding the door slamming into him, but only barely. Sqeek scrambled up the seats, taking refuge in Luna's lap as Maelicious sat under the window. Skuell and Sneek were currently yelling at each other, as per their normal shenanigans. Ginny looked a bit pale, her fingers tightly wrapped around her little black book. Toby was tempted to ask her about it, but the look on her face stopped him. Instead, he went with a safer topic. "So what're you guys doing for the hols?"

"Daddy might take me out to go nargle hunting. Mistletoe is very abundant this time of year," Luna commented offhandedly, staring out the window with her misty-eyed expression. Ginny just shrugged.

"Probably stay home, like usual," she replied. Toby sighed a bit, slumping deeper into his seat. Luna turned to look at him, her head tilting to one side.

"What's wrong?" she asked, and he blinked at her. "You've been very restless. It's quite a change from this morning." Luna continued to stare at him inquiringly, her hands wrapped around Sqeek as he dozed in her lap. It was an odd, yet endearing sight.

"I just… Sarah just reminded me about something," he told her weakly, shifting in his seat. "You don't have to worry about it." But Luna blinked, confused.

"But I am worried. That's what friends do, right?" She turned to Ginny for clarification, and the redhead was surprised that she was being soundlessly asked. Her mouth floundered for a bit, before she settled on nodding jerkily. Luna turned back to Toby. "See? Friends are supposed to worry about each other, and Ginny and I are worried about you. Right, Ginny?" Again, Luna turned to Ginny, who flushed red this time. She nodded again, her lips pressed in a thin line.

Toby pretended not to notice Ginny's hesitance, shrugging. "It's nothing, really. Sarah just reminded me that my parents don't know… they don't know that I'm going to a magical school." The last part was said in a hurry, but it was still clearly heard by Luna and Ginny, who both had looks of shock on their face.

"They don't know you're going to Hogwarts?' Ginny asked incredulously. Toby flushed.

"They do!" he replied. "They just don't know that Hogwarts is a… _magical_ school." There was something oddly embarrassing about what he was saying, as Toby now wished he could sink deeper into his seat when faced with the astonished expressions of his two best friends.

"How on earth did you get into Hogwarts then?" Ginny asked breathlessly, the shock obviously having an effect on her. "You need the permission of your parents to get into Hogwarts." Toby shrugged needlessly, playing with the edge of his shirt. (He had taken his robes off the moment the compartment door was locked.)

"My parents were off on vacation, and Sarah is my legal guardian when they're gone. We rung my parents, asked them for permission, they said yes, and Sarah signed the papers. That's it." Ginny still looked a bit mollified, but Luna was right back to her old self, stroking Sqeek's head as she swayed back and forth from across Toby.

"So why are you worried about them? It's a simple matter of telling them that you're a wizard and Hogwarts is a magical school you've enrolled in," Luna informed him, and Toby straightened up in his seat, his mouth opening but failing to articulate anything.

"Well, they might… I dunno…" he trailed off.

"Toby," Luna cut in, smiling her ever-dreamy smile, "I do believe the wrackspurts have gotten to you. It's so silly to think that your own parents would not accept you as you are." She rummaged in her pocket, producing an extra pair of radishes and holding them out to him. "Here, wave these around your head. The wrackspurts hate radishes; that'll drive them out for sure."

Toby took them, unsure what he was supposed to say to that, and did as Luna told him. He jangled the radishes around his head, wrinkling his nose at the smell. Ginny giggled at him, the smile livening her otherwise pale face. Toby grinned before chucking them at her, listening to her squeal. It was a trilling, happy sound that she scarce made anymore, and Toby was glad to hear it when it did arise. (He just wished it would happen more often.)

...

...

...

Sarah uttered a terse, "Fizzing Whizbees" as she approached the gargoyles standing guard in front of the headmaster's office. They leapt aside swiftly for her, just barely quick enough to avoid crashing into her as she swept up the stairs at a furious pace. Her green eyes were alight with anger as she burst through the door to Dumbledore's office, not even bothering to knock or wait for his invitation. It was because of this course of action that made the two occupants in the room look up at Sarah's growling face.

"Snape," she hissed in a sort of greeting, and he stiffened, black eyes glittering down at her through his greasy hair. Dumbledore was sitting at his desk, eyes twinkling and smiling benignly as his customary grandfather image required.

"Ms. Williams! To what do I owe this most enthusiastic entrance?" he asked, leaning back in his chair. Sarah dared not move from her position at the doorway, gaze locked with Snape. The both of them seemed to not want to look away, pegging it as an unspoken challenge that the one who broke the contact was the one who admitted defeat.

"I have something to speak to you about, Headmaster," Sarah replied, moving silkily into the room. She had forgone her witch's robes, as she would soon be returning home and saw no need to put them on. It was obviously a good idea, as her modern muggle clothing was putting the potions professor at a state of unease. He had obviously never seen a woman wear tight clothes before. Then again, one of Sarah's ex-boyfriends had always told her she was "sex on a stick in those boots".

"Then I suppose I shall leave you to your discussion—"

"Oh, no need, Severus," Sarah cut in, deliberately using his first name, watching his eyes widen from the shock of it, "I'd say you have a vested interest in this as well, so it would be pertinent for you to stay." Her eyes glimmered with challenge as she placed her hand on his shoulder, pushing down so he would retake his seat. His shoulder twitched beneath her touch, but he complied with a barely restrained sneer. That done, Sarah turned to the old wizard sitting behind the desk, his fingers interlocked at his chest. He was eerily calm, like always, and Sarah thought she should extend the same courtesy.

"You know, Headmaster, it's been quite enlightening living in a magical society," Sarah commented offhandedly, flicking a strand of brown hair behind her shoulder. Dumbledore smiled and tilted his head innocently.

"Oh?' he replied, and Sarah made a noise of affirmation as she nodded her head.

"Very. I didn't realize there were so many societal and cultural differences until I started living among you." Dumbledore chuckled.

"You mean aside the fact that we are, as you say, stuck in the eighteenth century?" he said. Sarah smiled at him, flashing her little canines.

"Yes, exactly," she replied. "Although honestly, I didn't realize you also had a different system involving secrets." Dumbledore raised a brow, and it was clear he knew where this was going.

"Ms. Williams—"

"I don't think you should finish that sentence, Headmaster," Sarah hissed, her hands coming to rest on his desk as she leaned forward, her green eyes intensely bright from the strain of leashing her fury. "No, I do believe it would be most pertinent for you to listen _very closely_." The wizard did so, his parted mouth coming to a close, the twinkle in his eyes leaving as he locked gazes with the muggle across his desk. Sarah smiled grimly.

"I am not a witch, Headmaster. I will remain non-magical for the rest of my life, I admit that. But do not _ever_ assume, Headmaster, that I am powerless. Because that will be your last mistake."

Snape stood with a furious swish of his robes. "You would dare threaten the Headmaster?" he exclaimed furiously, his wand already out as he levelled it at her. Sarah stared boredly down at the point of his wand, raising one perfectly plucked eyebrow. He realized what he was doing and flushed red, stuffing his useless weapon back in his robes. Sarah turned back to lock eyes with Dumbledore again, who had not taken his eyes off her in the short confrontation his potions professor started.

"Ms. Williams, I have never made such assumptions," the old wizard said softly.

"Is that right?" Sarah murmured, tilting her head slightly. "Then why is it, Headmaster, that you feel it is within your rights to divulge information that is otherwise unimportant to your potions professor? To the man who has a horribly misguided hatred for my brother—"

"Lies!" Snape exclaimed, shoving Sarah away from the desk. "I treat Mr. Williams the same that I treat every other student in this school—"

"You mean beside your Slytherins? Of which Toby seems to be mysteriously exempt from?" Sarah cut back, her tone harsh and biting. Snape glared angrily at her, his face still red beneath is hair.

"That boy was to be sorted into Gryffindor the first time the Sorting Hat touched his head," Snape snarled. "It was only through your interference that the Sorting Hat changed its mind." Sarah stepped back, her face whitening. She wondered, for a moment, if the two of them knew what memories the Sorting Hat had uncovered in her head, but shook off the idea. It was a private conversation between her and the hat.

"That doesn't matter," Sarah insisted, "What matters is that there is a serious breach of trust here between myself and the Headmaster." She turned to Dumbledore, who had stayed quiet during their argument. His normally twinkling eyes were now a solemn blue.

"I do not know what to say to put your mind at ease, Ms. Williams," he admitted. Sarah crossed her arms, flexing her fingers on her arms.

"Why Snape?" she asked. "Why not Minerva, or Filius, or Hagrid? In fact, why tell anyone at all? I don't understand why this is so relevant for another person to know!" Dumbledore sighed tiredly at her words, resting his forehead on his knarled hands.

"You must understand, Ms. Williams, that you are an abnormality in this world. I am only trying to understand what makes you so," he replied.

"But why _Snape_?" she asked again, pointing an accusing finger at him. Snape glared at the offending body part, having gathered his wits as he stood rather menacingly in front of her. Dumbledore looked up at Sarah, and his eyes seemed apologetic but determined.

"Because I trust Severus."

Sarah's eyes narrowed. "I think you forget, Headmaster," she hissed, "that I _don't_." And, having reached her limit, Sarah turned on her heel and exited the room.

...

...

...

Toby jumped down off the train and onto the platform, lugging his trunk. The thing was damn heavy! But he didn't complain, moving out of the way for Ginny and Luna to get through. Ginny spotted her bright-haired family almost the instant she stepped off the train, bidding goodbye to her two friends and promising to write. Luna spotted her father not long after that, standing uncertainly in a corner, fidgeting with a familiar part of angel-winged specs.

"Well, I do hope you have a wonderful Christmas, Toby. I'll be sure to owl you your gift, yes?" She asked, smiling. Toby grinned, nodding.

"Yeah, okay. I'll owl you something too. If I can find an owl…" he mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck. Luna smiled.

"I'm sure you will, Toby. Goodbye."

"Bye." Toby waved.

Toby watched his first friend walk off, her hair bobbing slightly as she went to greet her father, who was ecstatic to have her back. He had obviously been lonely from all the time she was gone. But they were together again, which reminded him he had to find his own parents. They were obviously not on the platform, as they never even knew a nine and three quarters existed. That being established, Toby grabbed hold of his trunk and meandered over to the wall, where he slipped through and out into the main, muggle train station.

"Toby!"

Toby whirled around, eyes wide as he spotted his mom and dad down at platform nine. A bright smile overtook his face, and he dragged his trunk over there, dropping it the instant he was in arm's length to pounce into his dad's arms. "Hi dad! Hi mom!" he exclaimed, hugging them both tightly. It might be the last time they ever let him touch them…

"Oh, honey, I missed you so much!" Irene murmured, pressing kisses on his forehead when Robert finally let him go. He pretended to hate it, but was actually savouring every moment. "How was it? Do you like the school?" she asked as Robert took the antique-looking trunk, a bit confused but otherwise not asking. Toby broke out in a bright grin, nodding.

"Yeah! It's really fun, and I made a bunch of new friends!" he exclaimed. Irene and Robert smiled indulgingly, happy for him. He never had a lot of friends at his old school, mostly because of his penchant for pranks. A lot of kids shied away from him, scared that he would prank them next.

"That's wonderful, son," he replied, ruffling Toby's hair. "So where's your sister?" Toby shrugged, pressing himself into his mom's side. She was wearing her usual flowery perfume, and Toby never thought he would be so happy to smell it.

"She said she had some stuff to do," he replied. Irene sighed exasperatedly and rolled her eyes.

"That girl really needs to learn organization," she tsked, and Robert laughed. Toby grinned, climbing into the car as they neared it in the parking lot. Sarah was always a little disorganized, but his mom always had a habit of over-exaggerating things. Sarah said it drove her nuts for the first few years they lived together, but she got used to it quick. The two of them always had a sort of strained relationship.

"So tell us about your friends, what are they like?" Robert asked after he finished putting the trunk in the back of the car, settling into the driver's seat. They drove off from the train station, Toby chattering a mile a minute about Luna, the endearing oddball, Ginny, the spitfire, and her two brothers Gred and Forge, his fellow pranksters-in-crime. His mother had promptly jumped into a firm lecture about his jokester ways as Toby stifled his laughter, especially when his dad winked at him through the mirror.

"Now Irene, I'm sure that Toby and his two friends have been very considerate about their jokes. It's all harmless fun," he cut in, reaching over and patting his wife's hand. She 'harrumphed' when he did, turning her head to stare outside at the passing streets. Toby smiled thankfully at his dad, knowing that given the chance, his mom would've gone on _forever_.

"Enough about your friends then, honey, how are the teachers? Are they nice?" Irene asked with her second wind of gusto, and Toby shifted in his seat.

"They're… nice enough," he replied. "Some are nicer than others." Irene and Robert looked at each other in mild surprise. Usually, Toby would be going on and on about his teachers; which ones he liked, and which ones he didn't like. Their boy was much of a chatterbox, and the two often thought that he had stolen it from his older half-sister. Before Toby turned two, Sarah was quite chatty herself, but then it all gradually faded away, and Robert and Irene Williams found themselves looking to their youngest to fill the silence.

"Oh," Irene answered, a little stilted, "that's good." A silence fell over them, something that rarely happened while they were in Toby's presence. It was a little awkward, and Toby could feel that it was a little awkward for his parents. They weren't used to him closing his thoughts off from them. He had always been very open with his mom and dad.

"So… how was your trip?" he asked, sort of grasping at straws. Irene brightened, happy to have something to fill the silence as she went off on praises about the cruise and all the beautiful places she saw. Robert cut in every now and then, agreeing with his wife or adding a detail she forgot to note. Toby listened with one ear, tuning them out every now and then as he looked out the window, wondering if Sarah was finished with her last minute errands.

...

...

...

Sarah landed on the front step of her door with a jarring thud, glad that Minerva had a steel grip on her arm through the side-along. After her meeting (if one can call it that) with the Headmaster, Sarah had asked the Transfiguration professor if she could apparate her back to her home. Obviously, the witch had agreed.

"Thank you, Minerva. I really appreciate this," Sarah said to the older woman wearing something straight out of an eighteenth century history book. Minerva inclined her head.

"It was no trouble, Ms. Williams. However, I do believe it would be best to link the floo network to your fireplace. No doubt it will be easier for you to travel to and from your home." Sarah smiled at the suggestion, nodding her head. She wasn't sure how her dad and Irene would take that, their fireplace bursting in green flames before someone appeared out of them, but she supposed that topic could be breached _after_ the… ah… confession.

"That would be great," she replied. Minerva folded her hands together as she prepared to disapparate.

"I will speak with the Ministry sometime over the holidays. We should have it up and running before you start your classes. Happy Christmas, Ms. Williams," Minerva bid her. Sarah stepped back to allow the woman space to disappear, nodding her head in thanks.

"Happy Christmas Minerva," she replied as there was an audible 'pop' signifying the Headmistress's leaving. She stared for awhile at the empty air, before shivering slightly from the cold and turning to the door. It was wooden, probably made from pine and polished to perfection. Fairly standard, she supposed; fairly normal.

'_What the hell are you saying, Sarah?_' she thought to herself, shaking her head to rid the thoughts. It had no relevance to what she was going to have to do later tonight, so she should stop stalling and dilly-dallying and just open the door to greet her family. That was the first step. Re-establish your position in the family. That way, she had influence and power that she could exert while dealing with the consequences of Toby's coming-out.

"Great, I'm planning damage control before there's even damage to control," Sarah muttered under her breath to the biting cold breeze. "I swear, if I didn't live through the stupid Labyrinth, I'd think I was insane." That said, Sarah unlocked the front door, stepping into the lit foyer, where there were a few Christmas decorations hung up. The TV was on in the living room, and pots and pans were banging around in the kitchen. From both rooms, heads peeked out to see who had come home.

"Sarah!" Toby exclaimed, escaping out of the living room to barrel into her, smiling widely. Sarah smiled, patting his head.

"Hey Toby," she greeted, before looking up to smile at her dad and Irene. "Hi guys." The two of them smiled from their respective rooms, leisurely making their way out into the foyer to greet her with hugs as she tugged off all her outerwear.

"How was your day, sweetie?" her dad asked, grinning at her as she hung up her coat, shrugging.

"It was okay. A little long, but not too bad," Sarah replied, the family of four making their way to the living room. There was tension in the air that Sarah could sense. It wasn't powerful, in fact it would have merely seemed "off" to any other person; but Sarah wasn't exactly just 'any other person'. She looked down to Toby, who was mysteriously clinging to her side, but looking no worse for wear. In fact, he was chattering a mile a minute about what she missed while she was gone.

"And mom's making chicken pot pie for dinner, and dad and me are settin' up the tree in the living room," Toby said as Sarah tuned in. She hummed at his ramblings, to show she was listening (sort of) and stepped into the living room where, in fact, Robert Williams was hanging ornaments on a Christmas tree. The smell of fresh pine invaded her nose, and Sarah smiled. Her dad never liked the fake trees; "it has to be real, or its no deal!" he'd tell her when she was young, and Sarah always remembered her mom rolled her eyes behind his back, and she would giggle—

"And dad and I, Toby. I thought we talked about the language thing," Sarah informed him almost on instinct, grinning. Toby pouted up at her.

"Yeah, but you say that about the sw—mmph!" Toby's mouth was summarily covered as Robert's back was turned, and his older sister gave him a very pointed look. He rolled his eyes as her hand backed away. "I mean, _yes_ Sarah, I'm sorry. I'm just really excited!" He gave a little jolt and balanced back on the balls of his heels, his eyes grinning up at her although his face looked otherwise innocent. Sarah rolled her eyes, a reciprocated gesture, as she ruffled his hair.

There was a little 'ding' that went off in the kitchen, and then Irene's voice filtered into the living room. "Dinner's ready!" she sing-songed, and Toby gave a shout and bounced into the other room. Sarah chuckled when she heard Irene lecturing him about running in the house, turning to her dad when she felt his hand on her shoulder. He was smiling softly down at her, running a hand through her long brown hair.

"You seem different," he told her, and Sarah gave him a weird look. He chuckled, leaning down to kiss the top of her head. "Well honey, you've always been different from kids your age, but this kind is more… universal. This different I've seen in other people before, but this differentness has always been different for every person."

"Dad, are you going senile?" Sarah asked, her question answering itself when he started to laugh big, hearty laughs and swept by her into the kitchen. Sarah just sighed, wondered about the Williams' and their apparent crazy genetics, and followed her father. Dinner was waiting, after all. And Sarah could anticipate that with some amount of glee, but it inevitably meant that dinner would end, and the post-dinner talk in the living room would come next. And that was where the evening would take an unpredictable turn.

But she tried not to think on it too much, reaching for a slice of chicken pot pie and snagging a few pieces of toast. Toby was trying to pick out the vegetables in the pie, until Sarah and Irene both turned their withering glares on him and he reluctantly stuffed a green pea in his mouth. Robert stifled a chuckle when they both nodded in satisfaction and then turned back to their own meals, wondering how they managed to do that _every time_. He felt sorry for his son.

"So how was work, Sarah?" Irene asked offhandedly, spearing a piece of chicken. Sarah froze in her _clink_-_clinking_ sound of her fork brushing across the plate, feeling Toby stiffen up beside her but resolutely stuff another green pea into his mouth. Neither Robert nor Irene seemed to notice how the tension rose _just_ a little bit, and Sarah forced herself to calm down and act normal. The two of them didn't know… yet. It wasn't like they had superpowers and could read her mind; they were just making idle chitchat. Stop. Freaking. Out.

Taking a slow, silent breath, Sarah lifted her head and smiled amiably. "It was okay. I had a slight disagreement with my boss, but otherwise it was fine." Irene blinked as she took a sip of her water, her eyebrows coming down in disparagement. Sarah squared her shoulders for a lecture, knowing that look and knowing what came from it.

"Really, Sarah, you need to stop antagonizing all your employers. _This_ is why you don't have a steady job," Irene rambled, looking down to scoop up some veggies with her fork. Sarah's hand twitched, but she maintained an otherwise steady grip on her fork. Irene was just worried about her, hence the lecturing; don't let your pride get the better of you, Sarah.

"In my defence," Sarah replied lightly, "my last boss was sexually harassing me, so I say that his black eye was quite justified." Robert and Irene looked up sharply from their plates, and Sarah twitched again when she realized she was trying to keep that a secret.

"What?" Robert exclaimed, shooting out of his chair. Irene had a hand on her chest, and her face was pale.

"N-now, dad, it's old news—" Sarah tried to reassure him.

"Not to me it isn't!" he interrupted, running a hand through his thinning grey hair. "This… this is more than news. Why didn't you tell me?" His voice was incredulous, his gaze penetrating but still vacant, as if trying to reconcile with the surrealism of his daughter being _sexually harassed_. She just shrugged helplessly, unsure of what to say that would reassure him.

"It… never came up?" Sarah tried a little fruitlessly, watching him pace the length of the kitchen. Irene stood up, a little wobbly but otherwise fine as she collected her plate and her husband's.

"Shall we discuss this in the living room?" she asked, depositing the two plates on the counter, fully aware of Toby's inquisitive ears. "You can keep eating, dear," Irene told him, and he looked confused at the topic of conversation and reluctant to relinquish his dinner. He gave Sarah a searching look, but went back to his dinner like a good boy. Sarah just left her food on the table, sighing as she followed her dad and Irene into the other room. She hoped Toby wouldn't eavesdrop; sex and all its related topics were things she didn't want to discuss with him until he was at least thirteen.

"It's honestly not a big deal anymore," Sarah said fervently, sitting on an armchair. Robert and Irene occupied the sofa, both looking a smite angry. "I kicked his perverted butt to the curb and quit; that's all there was to it." They still looked unsatisfied, and Sarah sighed as she waited for the lecture.

"That still doesn't explain why you felt you had to keep it from us. We could have helped!" Irene insisted.

"I would've beat his head in with a baseball bat! Damn Brits can stop shoving their damn stuffy noses in my face and scoffing at the all-American sport," he ranted, quieting when his wife placed a placating hand on his arm. Irene opened her mouth to start again, but Sarah sighed frustratingly and held out a hand to stop them. The sexual harassment was old frickin' news! She had something waay more important to address.

"Toby, can you come in here please?" Sarah called into the kitchen, rubbing her fingers against the bride of her nose. "Irene, dad, can we please drop this issue? Toby and I have something a bit more… important to talk to you about." Robert reared up in his seat.

"More important than my baby girl being harassed by some… some… brat?" he exclaimed, and Sarah sent him one of her withering glares. He turned a little red, but sat back down and allowed his wife to pat his back comfortingly. She didn't look like she liked the change of conversation either, but could see the gravity of the subject change. This was important to the both of them, if Toby's face was anything to go by when he entered the living room.

"Yeah?" he asked, and Sarah gave him an apologetic but very pointed look. He shifted, uncomfortable, before walking over and hopping onto her armrest. His stare was on his hands, twisting nervously in his lap. Irene wanted to reach out and stroke his hair to comfort him, but Sarah started speaking before she could, catching her attention.

"So, you know how Toby's going to this super secret boarding school?" Sarah asked, and the two of them nodded.

"Hogwarts, right? A strange name for a school," Irene mused, settling into her husband's shoulder. They seemed a bit more relaxed at the mention of the topic, but Sarah was sure they wouldn't stay that way for long. She took a deep breath, and Toby tensed.

"Well, it's not really an… _ordinary_ school…"

...

...

...

"That went well," Toby commented offhandedly, sitting on his sister's bed as she brushed her hair at her vanity. She paused in her brush strokes, turning to look at him with exasperation.

"Dad fainted," Sarah replied dryly. "And Irene was so white I thought for a minute she stopped breathing." Toby shrugged.

"I meant it went well in that _I_ didn't get thrown into a loony bin," he corrected. "I thought that when they saw my school trunk, they were gonna cart me off to a quack." Sarah rolled her eyes, smiling in amusement.

"They probably thought your books were just really good stage props or something," Sarah mused, setting her brush down and turning to face her little brother. "It's a good thing your magic didn't set off that weird Trace thing. I thought for sure I'd have to deal with some stuffy old… magical police officers or something." Sarah made a face at that, shuddering. Toby chortled with laughter.

"Seriously, what is it with you and police officers? You always have a bone to pick with them," he told her. Sarah shrugged.

"Not just police officers. I have an issue with authority figures in general, I guess. They've always tickled me the wrong way." Then again, it could be that her greatest example of an authority figure was a certain Goblin King in sinfully seductive tights and a penchant for making her heart beat a _wee_ bit faster than normal. Her impression of him wasn't the greatest ten years ago, and it's only gotten marginally better after nine years of frequent social calls.

"Anyways, it's late and time for you to head to bed," Sarah said, shooing him out of her room and ignoring his protests and whines. "We have to go to Diagon Alley tomorrow and send your gifts to Luna and Ginny, remember?" His protests stopped there, and he obediently entered his room, bidding her a whispered goodnight. Their parents had decided to retire early, in light of the… ah… _informative_ and _exciting_ day.

Closing the door behind her, Sarah took a deep breath and looked in the direction of the full length mirror hanging on her wall. She was all dolled up for bed in her slinky tank top and pyjama bottoms, complete with fuzzy slippers, but squared her shoulders and grabbed a little blue gift box on her dresser. It was in the shape of a simple little cube with a bright sparkly red bow on the top. She cradled it against her front, touching the mirror gently and whispering, "Labyrinth, I need you," before pushing through, feeling the ripples of the mirror lap against her bare arms. She shivered at the sensation.

"Sarah?"

(She shivered at the sound of his voice, too.)

Sarah cracked her eyes open, smiling awkwardly at the Goblin King. "Hi Goblin—" she started, only to realize that said Goblin King was just a _little_ bit underdressed and squeaked, turning around. Her eyes only had a glimpse of the feast that was the Fay's bare skin, but it was enough of a temptation for her to wish to see more. However, Sarah's will was nothing but ironclad, and her eyes remained firmly shut, her back resolutely turned. "I'm sorry! I should have told you I was coming sooner and perhaps knocked. But really, it's quite hard to knock when I don't have a door to knock at and now I'm starting to sound like this is all your fault instead of mine, which it is, my fault that is, so maybe I should stop talking—" she babbled, her voice freezing when she heard Jareth's low, throaty chuckle.

"Good evening to you as well, precious," he purred from behind her, and Sarah's breath hitched when she felt the faintest of touches on the back of her bare neck. Damn it. She should've worn a sweater. "What brings you to my Labyrinth at such a late hour?" His voice was practically dripping with insinuation and made Sarah blush furiously. She was normally not this virginal, not so affected by amorous advances but there was something about the Goblin King… something that set him apart. Sarah figured it was because he was a Fay. Yep. He was a Fay, which made him a human temptation of sin and sex and so forth irresistible to all humans especially regarding the latter rather than the former.

Translation: DO. NOT. FALL. (In lust, that is. Never in love. That would be absurd. Fay don't love. And neither do Sarah Williamses. Fall in love with Fay, that is. Or lust.)

"I, ah, wanted to give you this." Spinning quickly, partly to catch him off guard and partly because if she didn't she'd lose her nerve, Sarah thrust the little package into his hands, trying not to remember the silky smoothness of them against her own. "It's your Christmas present!" she squeaked, determinedly not looking at his face. Jareth observed it carefully, turning the box this way and that.

"Christmas? You mean that human holiday where gifts are exchanged and trees are brought into homes and decorated with curious little baubles?" he asked, his voice clearly fascinated. Jareth had never gotten a chance to inquire about anything verily human, given his interaction with humans often consisted of "You stole my baby!" and "I hate you!"

"Yeah, basically… in not so many words…" Sarah replied, stifling her smile. It was such an alien way of looking at Christmas that it made Sarah smile. Then again, the grin that spread over the Goblin King's face might've done it too. A smile for a smile, or some such thing.

"May I?" he asked, and Sarah was about to tell him he had to wait for Christmas. But the look of glee on his face made her change her mind, and she gestured for him to go ahead. He popped the lid of the gift box off, reaching instead to bring out a silver watch wrapped around a tiny blue cushion. "A watch?" he asked, a little befuddled. Sarah blushed lightly, shrugging.

"Well I know that time sort of passes differently in the Labyrinth," she said, twiddling with her thumbs, "so I thought maybe you'd like something to keep track of the human world too." Something warm spread through Jareth's chest, making him smile and conveniently forget to mention that he could use his magic to summon a human clock. Instead, Jareth strapped the watch to his bare wrist, his leather gloves tossed away somewhere in his room.

"Thank you, Sarah," he said sincerely, making her look up with surprised eyes. "It's beautiful." Sarah blushed, but smiled back at him, and it made his heat pound in his chest. He reached out, grazing his bare fingertips through her hair, leaving sparks on her skin. "It is late, precious, and you should get to bed," he told her. Already, he could see her eyes drooping a little.

"Oh, right," Sarah yawned, rubbing her eyes. She smiled up at Jareth, the expression dazzling and heartfelt and overall just very… Sarah. "I guess I'll see you in a few days Goblin King," she said, turning back to head through the mirror. Sarah was stopped momentarily, however, but a cool hand on her forearm and soft breaths on her neck. It made goosebumps rise on her flesh, but she dared not move, shivering in the feel of his bare hand against her bare skin.

"Please, Sarah," Jareth murmured, his tongue rolling deliciously on her name, like always. "Call me Jareth; I believe we have known each other long enough to be on a more… _familiar_ basis." Sarah tried not to tremble, but it was hard when the Goblin King—_Jareth_ was making her feel things that she never felt before. But she would never admit that; no way, not in this lifetime.

"A-alright, Jareth," Sarah stuttered, flushing red before escaping through the mirror. Jareth's touch still lingered on her skin, like a brand, like scorching fire. She clutched at it, feeling it throb and burn under her cooler hand. The mirror was still active behind her, it always took a few seconds for the connection to sever, and Sarah turned her head over her shoulder to look through it, to the Goblin King staring right back at her.

"M-merry Christmas, Jareth," she whispered to him. There was a smouldering look in his eyes as he replied.

"Merry Christmas, Sarah."

_

* * *

A/N _Yeah, I'm bad I know. Three months is a while to wait for one update, buut I will say that I felt it was appropriate for a Christmas chapter to be released near Christmas. Even though I don't really feel like this chapter was very Christmas-y... thoughts?

In other news, I has a Tumblr. :3

musingsofasnowflake,tumblr,com (replace commas with periods)

If you get a chance, drop by and read all the random things happening in my life. I update sporadically and when I feel like it, just so you know. Sort of like how I update fanfiction. Heehee!

And who watched Deathly Hallows? Was it not amazingness? It was surprisingly funny; I didn't expect it to be funny. And as an avid Pumpkineer/HHr fan, SQUEEEE! DANCING SCENE! 8D

Snowflake Flower


	12. Christmas Interlude

**Of Hogwarts and Inheritances**

**Chapter 12: Christmas Interlude**

Sarah didn't like Saturday mornings.

"Toby," she hissed quietly, partly for stealth and partly because she wasn't fully awake yet. "Toby, get up." The firm command in her voice made him stir, and he groaned softly, rolling over in his bed, throwing his blanket up over his face to try and block out the noise. Sarah tugged the blanket down, and Toby, much too sleepy to protest, simply let it fall away. As per the norm, he felt his sister's arm sliding around his waist, pulling him into a sitting position. "Damn it," she cursed, "You get heavier every day." He mumbled a protest to that, but stubbornly refused to budge from his bed.

"I'z too early," he said. Sarah sighed.

"You say that all the time." She wrapped her arm around his back, leaning his weight on her and beginning the slow trek back to her room. His head lolled from side to side, but at least he somewhat supported his own weight. Otherwise, Sarah didn't know if she could make it back to her room without tripping them both.

When they got to the mirror, Toby reached out to the silver surface, his fingers melting into his reflection. Sarah let him topple into it, knowing that Ludo was already on the other side of the glass, waiting to catch him. When his form had completely disappeared, Sarah then touched her own fingers to the mirror and whispered those cursed words, "Labyrinth, I need you." It rippled in response to her, feeling her fingertips, recognizing her presence and rejoicing in her return. At least, that's the feeling she got every time she went back to the Labyrinth. It began pulling her in, impatient with the pause she took before entering, eager to feel her presence once more. The pull of the Labyrinth was a hard thing to resist, so she allowed it to tug her in, closing her eyes as the feeling of transporting worlds washed over her. It was like entering and leaving water all at the same time; submerging yourself in fantasy and breaking away into reality. It was a refreshing, relieving feeling.

Sarah opened her eyes, watching Jareth as he gently placed the sleeping Toby in his bed. She wasn't necessarily surprised to see him there, since it was, after all, his room. But she couldn't stop herself from asking, "Where's Ludo?"

He didn't look up at her as he told her the Labyrinthine creature was still somewhere in the woods, sleeping. Instead, his gaze was on her little brother. His gloves were off, as they always were when he cast his protection wards, but he wasn't casting them now. Instead his hand, smooth and long and pale like moonshine, settled gently over Toby's forehead. Toby seemed to breathe easier at the touch, sinking deeper into the bed.

"How goes his days at school?" Jareth asked, thinking for a moment. "Bogwarts, was it?"

Sarah stifled her laughter. "Hogwarts," she corrected, and wondered at the Goblin King's fascination with bogging and bogs. "He's doing okay. He's made a lot of friends." She sounded proud at that, stepping closer to the bed, wanting a closer look but not wanting to disturb this rare and wonderful peace that exuded from the Goblin King.

"Ah, yes," Jareth replied as if he knew all along. "That's right, Hogwarts." He didn't say anything after that, and Sarah assumed he was thinking about something. His hand retracted from Toby's head, and he began to weave the protective wards into place. He never touched Toby during the process, but his hands danced up and down above Toby. Winks of sparkles and glitter and light fell from his fingers onto her brother, disappearing into his skin and leaving no trace. Sarah was mesmerised.

This wasn't the first time she had seen Jareth cast his spells on Toby, but it never failed to amaze her what the Goblin King was capable of. The pieces of light melting into Toby's skin seemed to light him up somehow, and Sarah always thought he looked like he was glowing a tinge after the spells were in place. The glow just made him look a bit more pale, she supposed.

Jareth didn't say anything when he finished, just stood up and began to walk away. He knew that Toby would wake soon, and he always endeavoured to stay away from the young boy. But Sarah's hand on his wrist gave him pause, and he looked at her. She was staring down at his hand, tracing her fingers over his Christmas present. "You're wearing it," she said, with a bit of surprise. He chuckled, tucking her hair behind her ear with his other hand.

"Of course I am, precious. Were you expecting me to throw it away?" Her blush was his answer. It could have also been from his light brush against her cheek, and the way she stared up at him. He caught the hand holding his wrist, bringing it up for the slightest of caresses against his lips. It was his silent goodbye, and with it he slid gracefully away, leaving her to stare after him, wondering if it was the magic of the Labyrinth that left that tingle on her knuckles.

...

...

...

Toby awoke with the taste of wonder on his tongue. He knew what that meant.

He was in the Labyrinth again.

There were voices, one he recognized as his sister's, but the other one was an enigma. It was familiar, but somehow not. He wanted to sit up to see this person with the deep voice, flecked with mischievousness and dark promise, a voice he'd only ever heard in his dreams, a voice he thought he imagined in those moments of oblivion and silence. His body hadn't yet caught up with his brain though, and it took a few seconds for him to pull himself up. By that time, the voice had stopped speaking, and the only thing he could vaguely remember or see was a flash of something – velvet? Like a cape maybe? – disappearing around the corner. Even then, he thought he might have hallucinated, or thought it to be a goblin.

"How do you feel?"

He brought his attention back to his sister, who was hovering over him with a concerned look. "M'fine," he said, taking a moment to stretch. He yawned, rubbing the sleep from his eyes and hopping off the bed. "C'mon Sarah, today we have to go to Diagon Alley." Sarah laughed at his enthusiasm, the way he took her hand and dragged her to the mirror. Waking up in the Labyrinth always energized him, and he always felt powerful and strong there.

"Alright, we better hurry before Irene notices we're gone." Toby went first through the mirror, as he always did, letting the Labyrinth's room fade around him, slipping effortlessly into Sarah's room. He was already headed back to his own room once Sarah crossed the border between worlds, eager to mail his present to Ginny. He had gotten her a journal from a muggle bookstore, at a mall they stopped at on their way home from King's Cross. He figured with all the writing she did in her journal, she'd be close to filling it. And it looked so old and worn, and it was just a plain boring black. Toby thought something brighter and cheerier would suit Ginny better. Something with a little pizzazz. That was why he bought a journal that was deep red with a silver hemming. The red leather was probably fake but he liked the way it felt.

But Luna... he still didn't have a present for Luna.

She was a bit harder to gift. She didn't care much for fancy clothes or nice jewellery. Toby supposed he could have gotten her something typical, maybe a journal like Ginny's or a box of chocolates. But Luna wasn't a typical person, and Toby didn't want to get her a typical gift. So he waited and puzzled, hoping that maybe inspiration might hit him soon.

"Young master Tobias," Sqeek spoke up, toothily smiling up at him. "Is time to go." Toby, fully dressed in jeans and a shirt, grabbed his robes and went downstairs, hanging them on his chair before taking a seat for breakfast. His parents, mom standing at the stove and dad sitting across from him, stared dubiously at his wizard robes. Their attention was promptly redirected when Sarah entered the room, dusting soot off her shoulder and holding a piece of paper.

"Are we taking the floo again?" Toby asked her. Sarah saw Irene and her dad look at each other, mouthing the new word in confusion. She smiled nervously at her little brother.

"Not this time," she told him. It would probably be best if she didn't give her dad a heart attack. It was a good thing that McGonagall had informed her earlier that her fireplace had not been disconnected from the floo network. She had just taken a few minutes to ask for alternative ways to Diagon Alley, hence the piece of paper and the soot lingering on her shoulders. She took a seat at the table and started in on breakfast, trying her best to ignore the probing looks from the rest of her family. It didn't take long for the rest of them to follow suit.

"So, Sarah," Irene started, and internally Sarah groaned. "What is this 'Diagon Alley' you and Toby keep talking about?" Toby's face lit up.

"It's so cool!" he exclaimed, bouncing in his seat. "It's this marketplace for wizards, and it's got everything. There's this one store that sells brooms—"

"Brooms? So witches really do fly on brooms?" Irene cut in thoughtfully, and Sarah thought she was taking this all in a bit too easily. But Toby shook his head, a dreamy look coming into his eyes.

"There's a sport called quidditch, and it's played on brooms." Robert, across from Toby, looked up in surprise.

"They have wizard sports on brooms?" he asked, now intrigued. Sarah snorted. Figures.

"It sounds dangerous," Irene said, frowning. Sarah rolled her eyes as the conversation about brooms and witches and quidditch continued on. Her father was typically interested in the schematics of the game quidditch, while Irene's frown grew increasingly deeper the more she mentally realized every potential danger the sport (and the method of transportation) had. The only upside Sarah could find to this conversation was that her dad and Irene seemed less starstruck and more willing to accept the ridiculousness of what Toby was telling them.

They finished breakfast and tugged on their coats. Sarah and Toby climbed into the back of the car while Irene and her dad sat in the front, her dad at the wheel. "So where to Sarah?" he asked, and she glanced down at the directions she'd scribbled hastily on a scrap piece of paper. The ride to the Leaky Cauldron wasn't long, but Sarah found herself more and more nervous as they approached their intended destination. Even her dad and Irene seemed a bit skeptical, staring nervously at, what was to them a decrepit building. But Sarah saw the sign out front crystal clear.

"Here we are," she said, unbuckling herself. "The Leaky Cauldron." Her dad and Irene were hesitant to follow her out of the car, wondering again if this was possibly a really elaborate ruse Sarah and Toby were pulling as a prank. But as they entered the building, space seemed to warp around them and suddenly the sound of clinking forks and knives sounded.

For a moment, the people inside the Leaky Cauldron went about their ways. On the other hand, a few turned to look at the Muggles standing at the doorway, all four looking rather dumbfounded. Well, perhaps that wasn't the right word to describe Toby. He was just utterly curious of this new place he'd never seen before. The man behind the bar smiled brightly and walked towards them, frightening Irene and Robert.

"Hello, hello, is it your first time?" he asked. Sarah tugged Toby back to her, in almost a protective gesture.

"Yes," she said, trying not to seem nervous. "We're wondering where the entrance to Diagon Alley is?" she asked him. He seemed more than happy to help, ushering the four over to an unadorned section of the walls. He chattered on rather quickly, so much so that Sarah wasn't entirely sure what he was saying. But she caught words like, "bricks" and "specific order" and "welcome to Magical Britain!" before he tapped the wall a few times and the bricks collapsed away to reveal their destination.

"Diagon Alley!" Toby shouted, running headfirst into the marketplace of wizards. Sarah sighed and tromped after him, while Robert and Irene trailed behind, utterly terrified of Tom, the owner of the Leaky Cauldron. Toby had, predictably, headed straight for the quidditch store, tempting Robert and Irene towards it as well. Irene made a motion with her hand against her head, as if she wanted to faint, but Robert seemed awed, and then excited. He started speaking to Toby about the displayed broom, the Nimbus, while passing wizards slowed to listen. They must not hear American accents very much, Sarah thought to herself.

"I'm going to go exchange our money," Sarah told them faintly, glad that they didn't really pay attention to her. She didn't want anyone, not even Toby, following her on her little excursion to the Gringotts bank. Not that they were helpless. Sarah had slipped a few galleons into Irene's purse, hoping that would distract them for long enough for her to finish her business.

She left quickly and silently, hiding in the crowds until she lost sight of them. Gringotts was pretty close, so it didn't take long for her to get there. When she arrived at the doors, the two goblins keeping watch gave her a short, but polite bow. None of the other wizards going into Gringotts seemed to realize that show of respect was directed at Sarah, rather they were just shocked that goblins had done anything mildly respectful at all. So Sarah managed to avoid attention, slipping quickly through the doors.

The goblins all seemed to pause when she walked in, but they went back to what they were doing almost instantly. When Ragnok met her only seconds later, Sarah figured he was the reason why.

"Championess," Ragnok greeted, bowing shortly at the waist. Sarah wasn't sure if she was supposed to curtsy, but decided curtsying in jeans couldn't be done, so she just nodded her head stiffly.

"Hello Ragnok." He seemed to smile at her awkwardness, sweeping his arm towards the hallway where Sarah remembered his office was.

"Shall we?" He asked, and Sarah just shook her head.

"No I just... I don't need anything today, I just wanted to look at the vault," she told him. Ragnok smiled. He gestured to the front of the room, where the tall podium sat. A goblin was manning it, and seemed to freeze when he noticed Sarah and Ragnok. There was a bit of a line in front of the podium, all the wizards holding large golden keys. Sarah reached into her pocket, grabbing the golden key Ragnok had given her the first time she came to Gringotts. She looked at it a bit quizzically, but Ragnok just ushered her past the line and the podium. A few of the wizards gave her dirty looks; a few others looked curious. Sarah just wished all of them would stop staring.

"Please step inside," Ragnok said, gesturing to the mine cart. He jumped in after her, and before Sarah could really prepare herself, the cart shot off like a rocket.

"AHHHHHHH!" she screamed, gripping the edges like they were a lifeline. The adrenaline that suddenly rushed through her, the way her heart beat so rapidly in her chest, Sarah thought for a moment that maybe the cart was going to lead her straight to the Underground. But despite the length of the ride, and despite how deep they went, the cart stopped at what was most assuredly Aboveground… ground.

It took a few minutes for the pins and needles to go away, and a few more for her to even stand properly, but Sarah got out of the mining cart and stood in front of a massive door with a small hole in it. Extending from the hole were what seemed like small cracks, but when Sarah looked closer they were inscriptions. She slid the golden key into what she figured was the keyhole, and the inscriptions began to glow, before sectioning away to reveal a huge room filled with precious treasures.

"Wow..." Sarah murmured, stepping inside. It was quite organized. Sarah didn't see any galleons littering the floor. But she did see square treasure chests stacked upon each other, rows and rows of them lining the room. When she flipped one open, she found out where all the galleons were kept. "This is amazing," she said. Ragnok entered with her as well, his hands clasped respectfully behind his back. "What is all this stuff?" Sarah lightly touched a golden necklace displayed prettily on a wooden manikin.

"The King sometimes entrusts treasures to us, in fear that the Underground goblins will wreck them if they are not safely stowed away. We keep them in this room," Ragnok explained. Sarah's hand jerked away from the necklace, her eyes widening.

"These are Jareth's things?" she said incredulously. Well she certainly didn't feel like wearing that necklace anymore. And why did he have a woman's necklace anyways? Suddenly, Sarah felt like taking back that watch she got him. But only a little part of her. Like, the fifteen-year old little part of her.

She moved away from the luxurious jewellery (and luxurious it was; rubies, sapphires, emeralds and diamonds decorated some or each or all of them) and looked at the dresses hanging from the life-sized manikins. Sarah was certainly not fifteen anymore, but she still loved everything fantastical. And these beautiful dresses were certainly right up her alley. They didn't look like anything she'd ever seen before. The sleeves were large and billowy at the arms and shoulders, almost like the ones Jareth liked to wear so much. The fabric dipped precariously low in the back, and the skirts were long and almost ghostly. Gentle lines of gems patterned the hems, but they didn't make the dress look ostentatious, just eloquent and regal.

There was a little dust on them that Sarah felt when she touched the soft material. The gems were dulled by age, no longer shimmering. But the dresses still looked new and unworn, and Sarah wondered if perhaps it was the same with the jewellery. That begged the question though; for what purpose did Jareth have these if they were not mementoes of… his women?

And there was one dress that stood out from the rest, not because of its beauty but because of how different it was. It looked like any old, preserved dress that Sarah had seen in a museum. It was beautifully made, to be sure, but this one definitely seemed worn. The hems were frayed at the ends, and there was a little sweat stain on the white collar. The rest of the dress was a deep, royal blue. It looked like any medieval dress that Sarah could imagine in her head. In fact, Sarah had worn similar dresses for plays she had acted in. Could it be the dress of a woman who wished away a child? But why would Jareth keep something like that?

She didn't have time to ponder it, because she was sure she'd been away for long enough that Toby and her dad and Irene would have noticed by now. She left the vault, grabbing a few galleons on the way just in case, and shut the vault. Her key was stored safely in her pocket as she jumped into the mine cart, but before they left Ragnok looked at her.

"Championess, this is your vault. If there is anything inside of it that has caught your eye, you have full right to take it," he told her. Sarah stared at him, somewhat uncomfortable with the new information. Maybe because it meant that whatever was Jareth's was also hers. And maybe because that meant the two of them were connected in ways Sarah was still uncomfortable thinking about. So she just nodded, and let it drift from her head as the mine cart made its way back up to the surface, leaving those thoughts to settle deep down in the earth.

After a minute or so of riding, Ragnok suddenly stopped the mine cart. Sarah, thrown off balance, had to right herself before realizing it was to avoid crashing into another mine cart. In front of her, Ragnok was angrily scolding the goblin who had driven the mine cart on this road.

"My apologies," he said, "But Mrs. Malfoy insisted." He seemed quite unapologetic, and Narcissa Malfoy, if Sarah remembered correctly, was also unrepentant. In fact, she seemed rather annoyed. She eyed Sarah with something akin to disbelief, her eyes flickering down as if doing that would help her figure out which vault was Sarah's. But why would she do that? Sarah thought.

There was a bit of a scuffle, as Sarah and Ragnok ended up switching mine carts with Narcissa Malfoy and the other goblin. That way, Sarah wouldn't have to wait for Narcissa to be done in her vault. Ragnok was apologizing on the way up, but Sarah didn't really hear him. Her thoughts were stuck on the missus, the way the other woman's eyes gleamed with interest but widened with disbelief at her. Sarah thought that must have been what she looked like, disbelieving that all the things in that vault were hers.

"Ragnok," Sarah said, as they climbed out of the cart, "I don't care what you and Jareth think. I don't want to inherit a vault full of money just because of some title I get for surviving the Labyrinth." Ragnok grinned at her.

"Well that's quite a problem," he chuckled, "because it's yours whether you want it or not." Sarah sent him an exasperated look, but he just chuckled again.

"I don't want money I didn't earn myself," Sarah told him, frowning. "It feels wrong." Ragnok stared at her seriously now, knowing her penchant for fairness and honour. He thought for a few moments, before a smirk splashed across his face.

"I might have a solution for that."

...

...

...

When Toby noticed his sister was missing, it was while he was looking at Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour. He remembered it from the last time he came to Diagon Alley, and he and Professor McGonagall and Sarah had stopped there for a short rest. Mom and dad were still standing dumbfounded in front of Ollivander's Wand Shop, staring at the old, majestic wand in the display case. Irene leaned heavily on Robert, who could barely stand straight himself. They seemed to take in the brooms just fine, Toby thought, but the wands really seemed to kick everything in for them.

Regardless, they seemed fine. They were too shocked to wander and get into trouble, Toby thought, so he focused on finding Sarah. He didn't notice her leaving them, and wondered where she could have gone. He felt a tug on his robes and looked down to see Sqeek grinning up at him. "The Lady went to go see Gingygotts cousins," he said. "Lady will be okey-dokey. Cousins will protect Lady!" Toby patted Sqeek's head, thankful for the comfort. At least his goblins were paying attention when he wasn't.

Toby went back to his parents, tugging their hands to get them away from the wands. Other wizards were starting to stare. "Come on guys!" Toby said. "I have to owl my present to Ginny!" The two were summarily confused at the concept of owling, so Toby had to drag them to the post office.

"Why don't they just use email?" Robert asked in confusion. Toby grinned, somewhat proud that he knew things his father didn't.

"Magic short circuits electricity, so technology is useless in the wizarding world." He dragged them inside, digging out the Christmas-wrapped journal that was Ginny's present. He peered over the edge of the front desk, still too short to be completely visible if he didn't go up on his toes. "Hey, I need a package mailed to... um..." he dug around in his pockets and pulled out a scrap piece of paper. "The Burrow." The present was handed over, a few sickles were given in payment, and the owl was on its way. With that done, Toby decided to go exploring with his parents a little more. He still needed to find Luna a present, after all.

When Toby stepped out into the streets again, he crashed right into someone. They both fell, and Toby groaned as his goblins surrounded him, tittering in worry. His head panged for a few seconds before it was clear again, and it was then that he heard an accusatory, "Watch where you're going Mudblood!"

'Not this nickname again,' Toby groaned in his head. He looked up at the infamous Draco Malfoy, who was sneering down at Toby. Toby just rolled his eyes and let his dad help him up on his feet, dusting his black robe off. Malfoy looked to be alone, his two idiots not tailing him like they usually did. He started eyeing Toby's parents with a deep scowl.

"Bringing mud into the wizarding world?" he snorted. "I swear you're all cockroaches or something. There's never just one infesting your house, there's always a _family_." Toby glared at the 'fellow' Slytherin, stepping in front of his angry goblins in a silent gesture not to attack. But Malfoy construed that as a challenge, and stepped forward as well, bringing the two nose-to-nose. He smiled cruelly. "Is there a problem, Mudblood?" he asked.

"Is there a problem, Mudblood?" Toby repeated, mocking Malfoy by speaking in a high pitched, pretentious and poorly done British accent. "Here's a thought: step aside and maybe there won't be."

"You can't tell me what to do," Malfoy said snootily. "_You're_ just a Mudblood." Toby smirked.

"You sure about that?" he asked, and that was when his goblins sprang into action. They all shoved Malfoy's legs, making him stumble and trip to the side, allowing Toby to walk through where he once stood. "Well that's a good chap," Toby said, bringing back his poorly done accent. Malfoy's shoulders shook, his face bright red with embarrassment.

"You... you Mudblood!" he shouted. Toby grinned.

"Do you ever get creative? Or is Mudblood the only thing in your vocabulary of 'well no duh'." Malfoy pointed a finger accusingly at him.

"The Ministry of Magic will get you for this! Magic cast by underage wizards is not allowed!" But Toby just smiled cheekily. Under him, his goblins snickered wickedly.

"Who said I was using magic?"

...

...

...

When Sarah found her family, she was a bit suspicious of what happened while she was gone. Toby was sulking, his chin dropped on his chest as Irene stood over him, speaking stern words. Robert stood beside her, not saying anything, just standing with his arms crossed. He looked like he wanted to agree with whatever his wife was saying, but at the same time... not. Sarah thought he probably figured it was safest to stand there and look intimidating.

When they spotted Sarah, all of them seemed to forget about what happened, and rushed to her. "Sarah! Where were you?!" was the first thing out of Irene's mouth. Toby just looked relieved that he was off the hook now, and Robert gave her a little half hug, like somehow when she had disappeared, the magic of this world had swallowed her whole and wouldn't give her back.

"Um. Just taking care of some errands," Sarah told them. Irene looked like she was about to ask, 'what errands?' but Sarah, as an experienced older sister, redirected Irene's attention. "So did something happen?" She gave Toby a grin when he glared at her, all three of them listening as Irene launched into the little confrontation Sarah missed.

When Irene finished recounting the event (with overexaggerated mentions of how irresponsible Toby was being, and underexaggerated mentions of how horrible that twit Malfoy was), Toby knew he was in a load of trouble with Sarah, who turned to him with that oh-so-familiar look of sisterly sternness. Sqeek hid behind one of his legs, as scared of Sarah as the goblins always seemed to be whenever she got angry. Sneek burrowed further under his helmet, Skuell used Sneek as a shield and Maelicious… Maelicious got quieter, if that was even possible.

"Toby, that wasn't very nice," Sarah said to Toby. "He's your housemate, and in a higher grade than you." But Toby pouted and kicked the dirt protestingly.

"Only by a year," he said. "And he was being mean! He called mom and dad cockroaches!" But Irene tutted and crossed her arms at him.

"Sticks and stones, Toby," she said, but then frowned. "Although I didn't realize there would be any kind of prejudice in this magical world." Robert shrugged and patted his wife consolingly on the shoulder.

"Where there are people, there will always be prejudice," he said, and then smiled. "Now let's go home. I think I've had enough surprises for one day."

...

...

...

"Sarah? Can you get me more sugar from the store?" Irene called out from the kitchen. Toby poked his head out of his room, peering suspiciously into the second floor hallway of the Williams family residence. He heard the door open, his older sister calling out a short "Yeah sure!" before hearing the front door slamming behind her. Toby waited a few seconds, just to be sure she wasn't coming back because she forgot her keys (again), before darting down the hall towards her room. Behind him, cackling madly, was Sneek and Skuell. Sqeek was fairly quiet, and Maelicious was so quiet even Toby forgot he was there sometimes.

Sarah's door didn't creak when he pushed it open, but still Toby was wary. Her room was always fairly sparse, just a bed, a dresser, and a mirror inside it. The mirror was what interested Toby, the gateway to the Labyrinth. He'd fallen through it so many times, the rippling always a comfort, always nostalgic. But he'd always gone into the Labyrinth with Sarah, this would be the first time he'd gone by himself.

It wasn't as if he was up to anything diabolical, though most would anticipate that. He just needed to get into the Labyrinth and… take one of the goblins.

Okay, hear him out for a second. During the car ride back home, Toby was thinking about what to get Luna, because she was the only person he had not gotten a gift for Christmas. But he just couldn't figure out what to get her. I mean, just think about it, the girl was not exactly your average… girl. He couldn't just hand her a journal or a pair of earrings and call it a day. Luna was a _unique_ kind of person and she deserved a _unique_ present. And it came to him, sitting in the back seat with his sister, listening to her talking to mom, explaining as much as she could about the magical world.

"I can't tell you how many times I've run around trying to catch some lost kid's cat or toad or something," Sarah chuckled.

"Students are allowed to bring pets into the school?" Irene asked, horrified. "But what about allergies? Do any of them have epi-pens?!" Sarah opened her mouth to explain that magical children didn't really have allergies to animals, and if they did there was probably a cure for it somewhere in Madam Pomfrey's infirmary. But none of that mattered to Toby, the only thing that did was the light bulb that went over his head.

"Labyrinth, I need you."

Toby slid through the mirror, that familiar rippling washing over him. He landed on his feet in the majestic bedroom that the other mirror-gate was attached to. Toby wondered if the Labyrinth made this room for him, although he often wondered in the Labyrinth was a sentient being at all. Nevertheless, what he was looking for would not be in this room. He left it, feeling a little nervous because he'd never really left this room by himself before, bar the little goblins running around his feet.

"Home! We back home!" Sqeek said, giggling. The hallways were dusty and old, a strange contrast to the elegant room he emerged from. He knew that the hallway eventually led to a large room, with a strange chair in it. It didn't look quite comfortable, and Toby often wondered who it was for.

When Toby entered the large room he saw it, and wondered at it again. It was fairly wide, and looked like a chair that a larger person would fit in. Perhaps the goblins stole it from a giant? But did giants exist in the Labyrinth? Maybe it was for Ludo. Ludo was quite large.

Regardless, Toby was drawn to the strange-looking chair. It felt old, centuries old, but it was still sturdy, still well-kept. He sat in it, placing his hands on what he assumed were the armrests, and looked ahead to see Hoggle.

"What do you think yer doing?"

Toby yelped, jumping off the chair. "Hoggle!" he exclaimed. Hoggle's little hands were on his hips, and he was tapping his foot in impatience. "Uhh…" Toby looked back at the chair.

"Sorry, is this your chair?" he asked. Hoggle jumped back a little, as if terrified of that idea.

"No! No," he replied. "But you shouldn't sit in it." With that, Hoggle began to… hobble away. But perhaps Hoggle would be of help to Toby, and so the young boy called the dwarf-like creature back.

"Hoggle, do you have any goblins you'd be willing to spare?" he asked, crouching to be at eye-level with the short creature. Hoggle gave him a weird look, crossing his arms.

"Why do you need another goblin? You already have four!" Hoggle complained. But Toby shrugged.

"It's not for me, it's for my friend," he said. "My friend Luna. She gets picked on a lot. I was hoping a goblin could protect her like they protect me."

Toby wasn't able to be there all the time for Luna, someone he treasured as his first friend at Hogwarts. She wasn't the kind of person who would fight back at someone who did her wrong. That kind of mentality made her an easy target, especially in places Toby couldn't reach, like the Ravenclaw Tower. And as a girl who was quite unique and special, most people wouldn't understand her. Toby was hoping that this goblin companion would give her comfort whenever she felt any kind of loneliness.

Hoggle harrumphed. "Give a goblin to a girl who can't even see it?" But when Toby explained Luna's strange sight, it made Hoggle rethink his opinion of her. "A girl like that shouldn't exist," he mumbled to himself. But then shrugged, determined not to let it bother him. "Well it's not up to me whether a goblin wants to stay in the human world," Hoggle told Toby. "Go ask around and see if you can find one of them to agree to your crazy idea. I'm out." And so Hoggle left, leaving Toby to roam the Goblin City as he pleased.

Faced with the bustling, chaotic epicentre of goblin madness, Toby smiled and looked down at his faithful goblin companions.

"Alright guys, let's do this."

...

...

...

"Owls are coming in!"

Ginny scrambled down the stairs, excited from all the presents flying in because of Christmas Day. Her older brothers were already there, tearing through the presents from their mum and dad. A few owls were leaving already, after been given a treat and a pat on the head by Mrs. Weasley. She was ushered into the fray of present-opening by her father, who gave her a smile and a pat on the shoulder. The first present she opened was, of course, her mother's. Chocolates and a new knitted sweater, as per usual. But Ginny put on the sweater anyways, watching her mum's face glow from it. She munched on a few other chocolates as she sifted through the presents to find more of hers. Toby and Luna had sent her presents for sure, she thought.

Ginny found Luna's present first. It was a set of brand new quills, but not any of the ordinary kind. The only remotely ordinary one was the quill of a swan, but all the others were wonderful colours and varying lengths. Perhaps the most interesting for Ginny was the colourful feather of a Lorikeet. It was an average size of an average quill, but the colours were so vibrant that Ginny was hesitant to call it anything close to average.

Putting her quill set away, she found her other present from her other friend, Toby. It was a new journal, and somehow it wasn't as exciting of a gift as Ginny thought it would be. I mean, it wasn't as if she told anyone the specifics of her strange and magical journal, so of course Toby wouldn't know that she essentially never actually wrote journal entries, or needed a new journal. But holding the present in her hand, realizing all the secrets she kept from him and from Luna, Ginny felt… something.

Guilt? Most likely. But still, she couldn't quite put her finger on what it was. Regardless, she took her presents upstairs to her room, throwing the journal and the quill set into her school trunk, and reached for Tom. Maybe he could help her figure out what this feeling was.

...

...

...

Christmas Day for Luna was usually very low-key. Her father would make breakfast for her, and together they would eat and speak of Snorkacks and Nargles and any other creature that was unheard of by the general wizarding public. For a long time, Luna thought that her father was the only one who would ever understand and accept her, mostly because he was quite the same way. But since meeting Toby, Luna was given hope that maybe she wouldn't be isolated to a life of singular belief and "weirdness."

That was why this Christmas Day when Luna woke up, she was the most excited she had ever been. She'd heard the flapping of the owls entering her home and immediately rushed downstairs. When she got to the main level of her home, her father was standing in the kitchen holding two presents and smiling widely at her. "Merry Christmas!" he exclaimed, and she laughed and hugged him.

"Merry Christmas," she replied. Her father's present for her was under the tree, and she opened that one first. It was a pair of Dirigible plum earrings, from a Dirigible plum bush that her mother had tended to when she was still alive. It comforted Luna to wear a part of her mother around her head, knowing that the plums would give her the wisdom her mother always seemed to have in abundance. She wore them straight away, and smiled when they brushed her cheeks.

The next present was from Ginny, a box of chocolates and a brooch in the shape of a crescent moon. It made Luna smile, and she pinned it to her robes.

Now wearing two of her gifts, Luna wondered if perhaps Toby also gave her something that was wearable. She took his box from her father, opening it. Inside of it was a book. A book of Muggle fairytales. She marveled at it, looking at the brand new binding and the wonderful colours. Muggles were always so flamboyant with their colours, Luna thought. She wished to read it, so she excused herself and went to her room.

It was only in the privacy of her room, the book cracked open to a random story, that Luna noticed the little weight on her right shoulder. She didn't turn to look at it, instead chose to gather what she could from her peripheral vision. It was small, with a little tail and a littler helmet. It was giggling softly into her ear.

"Well now, what's your name?" she asked it, asked him. He giggled again and then whispered in her ear, and she smiled. "It's very nice to meet you Dashe. Would you like me to read you a story?"

* * *

_A/N _You thought I was dead, didn't you?


End file.
